Total Drama Fiery Passion
by Tempokeep
Summary: Third story in the Karon trilogy. Aiming for one final, explosive season, Chris returns to Pahkitew Island for another All-Star season. Each contestant earned their place by getting sixth place or better. Who is the best of the best? Is Scarlett really here? Why is Chander back? And, most notably, where's Chef? Find out here! Complete through the finale.
1. Fresh Batch of Robots, Part 1

**Ooooooh, man, here we go! Final season!**

**Have you not read Karon or Submerged yet? You should probably check those out...it would be really useful to understand this story. Spoilers will be in here, aka almost right after this.**

**I spent a while on my planning board alone, and all for a measly 18 chapters. Everyone here will have something to do, except for the first one eliminated, but even they do...something.**

**The winners in this universe are: Owen, Beth, Heather, Lightning, Mike, Shawn, Ethan, Kayla. Most of them won't be mentioned, but the last three certainly will.**

**Regardless, I hope you enjoy episode one!**

* * *

Episode 1: Fresh Batch of Robots, Part 1

The camera opened right over Pahkitew Island, the mechanical disaster that was season five, five and a half, or whatever they called it. Only one minor difference appeared since it's running at that time. In a similar feel to Wawanakwa, a dock had been put down, with the cannon on one end, and a sign that read "Pahkitew Island" on the other.

On the dock, a man walked into place. This was none other than Chris McLean, the host who recently took thirty teens down to the lowest point in the world to watch two of their own compete for a million bucks.

Chris appeared to be pacing back and forth with a phone in his hand. He looked a tad more nervous than his normal sadistic yet excited nature. "What do you mean, you can't make it? I pay for you to show up! If you aren't coming, who's going to-" His train of thought was interrupted by a voice from the other end. Chris seemed angry at what the voice said. "But you know that's for a prank! It's always super funny!" The voice sounded again, and Chris sighed. "If it's really gonna be that way, we'll see how _he_ likes it with _your_ money!" He hung up the phone, and finally looked over, seeing the camera that had just captured half of an interesting conversation.

Chris smiled at the camera, trying to pretend like nothing had happened. "We're back with season eight! Our final run is going to be brutal! Here, the top six players from Total Drama Pahkitew Island, Total Drama Karon Island, and Total Drama Submerged, will be battling it out for one final chance at the million dollars!" As he spoke, a helicopter rolled up to the front of the island and began to open its doors. Chris clearly had some time still, and he took it. "Apparently, our ratings were not as great as they could have been with Pahkitew Island, so we brought back the best from there, and we're bringing back the best challenges as well!"

Chris continued. "Who will win? Who will fall hard? And who's going to try so hard, only to watch it all collapse? Find out right now, on Total! Drama! Fiery Passion!"

* * *

**Opening Sequence- revealed next chapter**

* * *

The helicopter gave Chris some sort of signal. Chris nodded. "And, here come out contestants now!" He pointed up as the frame switched to the helicopter exit. "From Total Drama Submerged, here's grouchy, sporty, complaining brat, Kayla!"

Kayla takes her own liberty to dive off from the helicopter. She was wearing her classic dark pink top and black leggings. Her brown hair swayed through the air as she fell into the water. "Game on!" she shouts, raring to go.

As the brat made her dive, Chris worked on announcing the next contestant. "Newcomer from Submerged, and a finalist at that, flower-power, nature's nurse, Lavender!"

Lavender pulled back her light purple dyed hair and dove off the edge right into the water. "This is nuts!" she cried out, clearly more scared than Kayla. She still had a lilac over her eye, and had the same cargo shorts and green t-shirt. As she dove in, she focused on maintaining an aura of calmness.

After another successful landing, Chris continued. "Con artist, and very salty loser, Marty!"

"Not this time!" Marty called out. He jumped right into the water, his black afro not moving in the air at all. He was wearing brown boots, brown shorts, and a cream jacket over a white shirt. He seemed eager and determined.

Marty landed in the water, and Chris moved on. "Socially dead saboteur, Norm!"

Norm walked up to the edge of the helicopter and groaned, moving his brown hair off of his face. He adjusted his green polo, and in a very bored fashion, walked right off the edge, the knees in his khaki shorts hardly moving. "Let's get this over with," he groaned, clearly annoyed, almost like he didn't want to be there.

"Flowery pacifist Flora," Chris announced, "who dominated the field until she was out of field to stand on!"

Flora sighed at the top, and jumped into the water. She was wearing a green sweater with white leggings, and her dirty blonde hair had a lavender in it. Flora didn't say anything on the way down, just kept her focus on making to down safely and not landing on anyone else already at the surface of the water surrounding the island.

Chris announced the final contestant from that season. "Finally, from Submerged, paranoid, trust-less, Iris!"

Iris scoffed at the top, her now blonde hair accenting the blue streaks going through it. "Would _you_ trust these people?" she asked to no one in particular. She grabbed her four backpacks, and jumped out of the helicopter, flying through the air. She was wearing her blue top and jeans.

* * *

As Iris hit the water, Chris moved on. "Now, from our Karon Island cast, here's sore loser, great winner, mediocre leader, Ethan!"

Ethan shook his head. "I was a fine leader!" he complained. He returned to his dark blue t-shirt and black shorts from his time on the island, and still had the fiery red hair. He jumped out of the water, aiming for the perfect dive.

As Ethan moved in, Chris moved on. "Up next, she tampered with my dome, so Team Friendship tampered with her, Kara!"

Kara jumped off, keeping her head up and trying to take a good look of the island she was about to stay on. Besides what they knew about it, there wasn't much to it. Her brown hair flew around as she dove in. She was wearing a yellow t-shirt and black leggings, very similar to her sister, who was already in the water.

"Up next," Chris went on, "sour sports guy, Paul!"

Paul smirked as he did a perfect dive into the water. He had brown hair and was wearing a red jersey and blue athletic shorts. "Let's do this!" he shouted in a determined tone. His dive went straight into the water.

"Fierce facetious force, Angie!" Chris announced.

Angie watched as Paul dove in, and prepared herself for an even better dive. She wore the same black leggings and blue top, and had brown hair. "Chris stinks!" she shouted, giving a smirk to the host.

Chris fumed briefly, but continued, as he had a bunch more introductions to do. "Laughable lover, Jonathan!"

Jonathan sighed. "It keeps getting worse, doesn't it?" He wore a red t-shirt and black shorts, with black hair. He sighed one more time as he jumped off, screaming.

"Finally, from Karon Island," Chris finished off, "psychotic psychic, Luna!"

Luna wore a light blue top and a grey skirt. She didn't say anything, and instead of jumping off, she seemed vanish in thin air.

The frame switched to down below where everyone was gathered. Luna appeared in between all of them. A few of them shrieked, but Norm rolled his eyes. "Are you going to be an issue again?" he asked.

Luna shook her head. "Not if you aren't near me." Norm looked at her suspiciously for a brief second, but shrugged it off, not caring at all it seemed.

* * *

Chris pointed back up to the helicopter. "And finally, from our Pahkitew Island cast, zany zombie nut, Shawn!"

Shawn adjusted his beanie. "Uh-uh! No way am I jumping into a pit of zombie strangers!" Someone reached out from behind and pushed him. "Don't touch the brains!" he shouted as he fell.

Chris laughed. "And now, everyone's favorite relationship ruiner, the racer of rejection, and the dealer of despair, Sky!"

Back up at the helicopter, Sky fumed. "He didn't listen! Why won't anyone get that?" She pulled her hair back from her face, and made a dive better than any of the others, with a few flips in it.

"Craptry queen and the reason our ratings hit a massive drop, Sugar!" Chris sighed as he read the name.

Sugar shook her head. "What's he talkin' about? I was great!" She jumped in, doing a giant cannonball. As she went down, everyone seemed to get out of the way so they wouldn't be hit.

Chris gestured up one more time. "Australian Amazon, Jasmine, who killed it until she fell to a tree."

"She'll pay for that!" Jasmine said, determined, diving into the water. Everyone down below kept their distance out of fear that she might punch them and break their skull.

Chris sighed, and quickly picked up his phone. "Okay, so these two are allowed in?" A voice sounded. "Okay then, I'm announcing them." He pointed back up to the helicopter. "Maniacal Maniac, Max!"

Max gave off an evil laugh. "Time to evil!" he shouted, until he reached the edge. He looked down. "Uh, could we lower this just a teeny bit?" he asked to someone in the aircraft, in a much less evil sounding voice. Then, he was shoved off. "Aaaaaaaah!" he screamed in a high pitch as he fell.

Chris called off the last contestant. "And, last but not least, our very own island hostage taker, Scarlett!"

Scarlett had her hair back in the giant bun behind her head. "This is fine," she muttered as she dropped down silently. As she fell, she took note of her old and new competition, watching as they gasped at her reappearance.

Chris laughed as he announced one last person. "And, fire throwing prankster, Chander!" Chander smirked as he jumped in, wearing a white shirt with a purple trench coat and black leggings with white boots.

This confused almost everyone. "What?" Sky asked.

"Seriously?" Norm added.

Chander ignored them and smiled. "You always get two chances in show business!" He shouted in a rejoicing tone, clearly excited to be back.

Once he hit the ground, Chris yelled over at them. "Get over to the beach, pronto!" As he finished speaking, the contestants all began swimming over to the beach, with Ethan, Angie, Sky, and Paul leading the pack. Max, Sugar, and Norm trailed in the back.

* * *

Ethan skidded to a halt on the beach. "Yes! First one here!" He then stopped. "...You have to be kidding me." He stared as Luna sat there, in a very similar fashion to Dawn in season four. Luna was staring out at the others, her eyes glowing.

The psychic looked over at him. "Sorry, I didn't know that was forbidden," she said with her strongest sense of sarcasm. She reverted to a normal speech tone. "It isn't in the contracts, thus allowing me to do as I please." Ethan growled.

* * *

**Ethan: **He sighed and punched a wall. "Luna's already making a big impression this season. I don't like that." He then gestured to his clothing, which resembled the look in Karon Island again. "You like it? It feels like I need to be outside again. I'm ready to bring the power."

* * *

As everyone began to beach themselves, Chris lowered himself on his jet pack. The blow of the sand caused some people to cough. "Hello, campers!"

Kayla scoffed. "Don't try and make us feel good to be back."

After Kayla's remark, an awkward silence filled the air. Everyone started to feel like they were forgetting something, or someone. Who else isn't here that should be?

It was then when Angie put the pieces together. "Hold on," she asked. "aren't you missing someone? You know, the half of your hosting team that is bearable?" Everyone else looked around to notice that the cook was not there.

Chris huffed at her. "Yes. If you should know, Chef is trying to make it here, but he has had several flight cancellations." Everyone began to speak, which Chris silenced by turning on the jet pack again. Everyone shut up after eating sand for a bit. "So, since I don't have a co-host, but these challenges require one..." Chris took the time to study the group. He then finally pointed at someone. "Chander. You're eliminated."

"What?" Chander asked. "Just like that? Can you do that?" He seemed confused at first, like it was some sort of elaborate joke, but the lack of change in Chris's expression led the prankster to believe that he truly was out of the game already.

"He can," Max commented. "but he always will pay..." Max clearly had not dropped any hostile feelings he acquired from his instantaneous elimination in the season he competed.

Chris clarified his actions. "Chander, with Chef missing in action, I kinda need someone to focus on helping me run challenges instead." He then pointed to the rest of the competition. "Do you really think any of these people could handle that?" Chander thought about it for a bit, then shrugged. "Exactly," the host said.

Chander nodded. This made him feel a bit better, knowing he wasn't instantly leaving again. He looked back to the dock and saw the cannon sitting on it. "So, I don't get to ride in that yet?" Chris shook his head. "Great."

* * *

**Chander: **He shrugged. "So, I don't get to compete. That's okay. I probably get to do stuff way more up my alley anyway." He lit a stick on fire. "I have a feeling this is gonna be an explosive season." He laughed.

* * *

"Speaking of contracts," Kara asked, "didn't those guys lose theirs?" She pointed at the Pahkitew contestants. "How are they back?"

Chris laughed evilly. "We found a way."

* * *

A flashback showed the aftermath green room, where Blaineley was seen alone, piecing paper shreds back together. She let out a massive groan. "Can I be finished with this mess yet?" she complained. Chef was sitting behind her in a lounge chair, shaking his head. "Great," the ex-host of the aftermath griped as she put glue on another paper shred.

* * *

Chris gathered everyone up. "Let's start with some basics for this round," he said. "Each of you guys placed top six in one of the three most recent seasons. Whether you got that in a deserving fashion," he kept speaking, as Marty smirked, "or, you just kind of floated," Flora frowned, "you're here. We'll be incorporating parts from your season here, to make this the most extreme challenge set yet!"

Everyone looked around. Nothing really changed on the island with the exception of the new dock. "Uh, care to explain a bit more?" Iris asked, almost annoyed that she had to ask.

Chris nodded. "Pahkitew contestants, I bet you've seen this place before." They all nodded. Some smirking, and some sighing. "You will also be revisiting some of those challenges. Your ratings sucked, but these guys nailed it," Chris addressed the Karon and Submerged contestants.

Chris then pointed to the Karon contestants. "Your implementation will be through strategy. This season, vote checking is back!" Everyone cheered.

* * *

**Paul: **He sighed. "Yeah, sure, I got third, but I was an idiot for not checking those votes. I didn't realize how easy it became to keep everyone in check. Now, when I lead my team, I'll crush it!"

* * *

Chris wasn't done. "Oh, and, you might remember this?" He pulled out a Chris head statue. "As a reminder, the sole vote idol takes all votes away, and lets you vote off the person of your choice. The normal nullification idol is not in play. This season, sole vote only. People hated when that other one was played."

Ethan snickered, remembering who played the standard nullification idol. "Imagine having played that one," he teased. Jonathan fumed behind him.

* * *

**Jonathan: **"What does he think he's doing? Is he trying to provoke me? I won't allow it!" He stood up with a determined expression, then sat again. "But for real, I need to think this season. I kinda messed up last time, and the time before that. I won't allow it to happen again."

* * *

Chris threw the sole vote idol at Chander. "Here, that's a great first job. Hide this." Chander nodded and ran off into the woods. "Oh, wait!" Chris shouted. Chander ran over to him. "Here's a path to the control room. You probably want to reprogram the animals to not go after you." Chander nodded and smiled. As he went off, Chris turned to the campers, who now looked a little more anxious. "If any of you even think to reprogram those animals to save you too, you're out."

Lavender sighed. "I dislike this mechanical theme. I'd prefer something natural."

Chris laughed. "Oh, you're getting natural this time." He kept laughing.

"Shouldn't have spoke," Lavender said. Chris was a master at twisting words, and the way he spoke immensely concerned the nature child.

"Wait, what about us?" Iris asked. "Oh no, are we singing?"

"No," the host clarified. Chris then thought of what he implemented from their season. "Uhh, well, we're on Pahkitew again. You all went there." The six who made it to the Atlantis challenge were not buying it. "Uh, your finale was really big and overdone, you can expect that here too." The still stared at him. "You guys really want something from your season?"

"On second thought," Flora spoke up, "I think we are content with what you have given us."

"Suck up," Marty muttered.

Paul tapped his shoulder. "Did you say something?"

Marty didn't move. "Nope."

Chris nodded. "Great, now, everyone over to the center of the island. We're doing challenges on day one!"

* * *

**Kara: **"I'm not buying this," she said with a skeptical look. "Of course we already know this place is mechanical. Something else has to be a gimmick this season. It's too tame so far."

**Max: **"It was quite foolish of them to let me back," he said with a smirk. He was pacing back and forth, rubbing his hands together. "I already know all the secrets to this place, and I will have the island again! Muahahahahahaha!"

* * *

As they walked to the center, some people began talking. Iris made her way over to Scarlett. "Do you expect me to believe that because your hair is in a bun that you've corrected yourself?"

Scarlett fumbled for an answer. "That's a bit insensitive. I was stationed in a correctional facility for a few years."

Iris pointed at Scarlett again, and then made a signal at her, signifying that she was watching her. What no one else noticed, was that after the attention left iris, she hung her head down briefly, sighed, and then shot up again, pretending like that whole exchenge never happened.

Shawn and Jasmine were talking in the back. "Do you think we'll be on the same team?" Jasmine asked.

Shawn nodded. "It'll probably be good versus evil, or a split between seasons. Regardless, we're good to go." The two smiled at each other, hoping to have a chance to work together this time.

Up front, someone else had another motive. Norm ran up to the front and stayed on pace with Chris. "So...I was reading the contract," he started.

Chris looked at him. Only one other player had read the contract that he knew of, and that player sued the show. "What do you want?" the host asked in a concerned, yet annoyed tone.

Norm shrugged, and lowered his voice so his words wouldn't reach the others. "To leave. The contract says we can't quit. What gives?" he wanted answers, and only Chris had them.

"It's a precaution against Flora, but we figured it'd be best if everyone had it. People like big dramatic eliminations better with betrayal. Quitting kind of ruins that," Chris explained. Norm sighed.

* * *

**Norm: **"I went all the way to the final four last season just to take out Marty," he complained. "Now, I'm stuck here competing again, and it's the last thing I want to do. There has to be a way out of this mess."

* * *

The groups continued walking, trying their best to go on their own ways, but some of them felt like talking and branching out. "Y'know," Sugar spoke up to two Karon contestants. "Ya'll should stick with me, since I'm a better strategist than both of you!"

Angie turned her head. "Oh, really? I made it to the final four off of pure merit."

"I made it off pure skill," Paul noted. "What did you actually make it on?" he asked.

Sugar laughed as the pessimist's joke, which wasn't actually a joke. "I made it off pure luck!" she said in an attempt to brag. Paul and Angie blankly stared at her.

* * *

**Paul: **"I-is she for real?" he asked. "This is who I could be stuck with. Ugh! Just let me know who I'll be leading."

**Angie: **"Sugar isn't off to a good start, but she deserves it," she mentioned. "I can't wait to carry my team to victory."

* * *

At this point, the walk was almost over, and the location for the challenge was almost in sight. Kayla groaned, but not notably from exhaustion. Her sister looked over to her. "Something wrong?" Kara asked in concern.

Kayla shrugged. She hadn't been feeling very different since winning Total Drama Submerged, but today she felt a bit odd, like it was finally sinking in. "I hate to say it," she said, "but honestly, I'm kind of bored. I won already, and even if I win again, it won't be beating as many people. I feel like i need to try something new."

Kara nodded. "Well, please don't get too carried away. You don't want to hurt anyone."

Kayla laughed at her sister's concern. "I'm not going to hurt anyone...yet." Kara looked at her with even more concern, which caused Kayla to laugh. "Kidding! C'mon, have some fun."

Kara shook her head and walked up to Chris, who was still trying to dissuade Norm from getting out of here as soon as possible. "You're ratings gold!" Chris told him. "Everyone loves you!"

Norm shrugged. "Than everyone can be disappointed. I will be gone as soon as I can, and you won't stop me." He walked off.

While the genius walked away, Kara approached the host. "So...nothing's new on this island besides the mechanical stuff?" Chris silently nodded. "You'd tell us if there was, right?"

"All the basics are covered," Chris told her. "If you're looking for secrets, good luck, because there aren't any." He picked up his pace as they neared the site. Kara allowed him to keep moving as she stayed with the group.

* * *

**Kara: **"Is it bad I'm worried for Kayla?" she asked the outhouse. "Probably. I have a bigger issue to deal with anyway, and that's finding out what's gonna happen this season. I know something's planned." She thought about it a but more. "Where are the teams? I don't even know the name of this season! It was never specified!" She cooled down and took a deep breath. "Oh yeah...I'm getting those secrets."

* * *

The eighteen campers gathered up in a cluster in front of a junk pile. "Oh no," Shawn groaned. "I've seen this before."

"That you have!" Chris exclaimed, smiling. The other Pahkitew campers and a few others groaned, quite aware of what was about to happen. "After our fun finale, Sky, the relationship reaper, left her pathetic boyfriend that she rejected on TV to die on the island." Sky fumed at the way Chris was speaking, but Chris chuckled at the mental pain of a contestant.

Chris continued to monologue. "Well, Dave got a bit upset that he was left there, and totally trashed the shelters before we were able to pick him up." A few people continued to look at him in concern. "Yes, he's alive." Everyone sighed in relief and despair, knowing that Dave is okay, but they'd have to repeat the challenge again. "So, you all need to drop through this pile and try picking up useful things this time." Chris eyed up the zombie nut. "Got it, Shawn?" Shawn rolled his eyes and nodded.

Everyone was about to run off, but Chris stopped them. "Hold on," Chris said, putting and end to their movement. "You all need to know your teams." He put up two banners, one with a purple eagle, and the other with a golden meerkat. "Teams will be strictly based on placements from the season in which you qualified."

He pointed to the purple banner first. "This team is the Extreme Eagles, the people who placed really well, or real poor." He pulled out a list and began to read off names.

"Shawn," he started, as the zombie nut moved his way over to the banner.

"Sky." Sky rolled her eyes at the host again and walked over.

"Scarlett."

Scarlett began to walk over. "Is sixth place really that bad, and didn't I place higher?"

"Max was technically eliminated after you," Chris said. Scarlett's eye twitched. "That's right, he placed higher than you."

"Ha!" Max teased. "I am truly the superior." Scarlett's eye twitched again, which Luna caught on to.

Chris shut them up and moved on with his list. "Ethan." Ethan nodded and walked over.

"Kara." Kara wasn't paying attention, as she was poking a rock, looking for stuff. Chris frowned and got out his loud speaker. "Kara!" Kara shot up at this and walked over to where the others are.

"Luna." Luna chose not to walk, and instead teleport to the desired location.

Norm watched her do that act. "You said that wasn't going to be a problem," he complained.

Luna smirked. "And you said you wanted out."

Norm halted. "I didn't say that to anyone else...I mean, woo." He deadpanned the last part.

* * *

**Norm: **"Yeah, I'm trying to leave," he admitted. "But I don't need people knowing that. I need to 'accidentally' cost us a challenge and get voted off traditionally. It's the only way Chris will buy it."

**Luna: **"He thinks he's smart," she mocked. "It took one mind read to do this. Knowing this is my last chance, I really need to go all out."

* * *

Chris shut the campers up again. "Kayla."

Kayla walked over to the team. "Hiya," she said to Kara. Kara waved, but was paying attention to a suspicious looking plant.

"Lavender." Lavender walked to the team, nervous to see the people who would be joining her, and likely fighting with her to stay in the game.

"And finally, Iris." Iris walked over to her team.

Chris swapped to the next team. "Now, the Middle Meerkats. You are the ones who kind of did okay, but not good enough."

"Are we really going through this?" Angie complained. "We already know who it is."

"Do not spoil this!" Chris demanded. "Starting off, Sugar." Sugar skipped over to the yellow banner and stood under it.

"Jasmine." Jasmine exchanged a sad glace to the Eagles, where Shawn was, then made it over to the meerkat banner.

"Max." Max smirked over at Scarlett and walked to the yellow team.

"Paul." Paul walked over to the banner and began to eye up the team.

"Angie." Angie stared down Paul as she walked to the team.

"Jonathan." Jonathan pumped a fist and went over to the team.

* * *

**Jonathan: **"This is a great team," he explained. "first of all, Ethan is on the other team, so he is not my problem." He sighed in relief. "Secondly, Scarlett and Luna, who look like serious threats, are also not on this team, which means we'll do well, and Ethan will go home fast." He crossed his arms and smiled. "Now I just need a strategy, and I'm going to win this game."

* * *

Chris continued announcing people who knew where they were going to be placed already. "Marty." Marty walked over and looked at Jasmine, who was still looking at Shawn.

"There an issue?" he asked her.

Jasmine nodded. "It's just Shawn is on the other team," she said. She then realized who she was talking to. "Hey, aren't you-"

"Going to help address that issue? You bet," he said. Jasmine stayed suspicious.

* * *

**Marty: **"I saw their season," he said. "They're a strong team. My goal? Make sure neither of them reach the merge. It can't happen."

* * *

"Norm, who is super excited to be here," Chris continued. Norm walked slowly over to the yellow banner, and sighed in boredom.

"Finally," Chris announced, "Flora." Flora nodded and walked over, exchanging a happy glace with Paul. On the other side, by the eagle banner, Lavender looked on, upset.

Chris looked at the teams. "Yeah, this is gonna be good."

* * *

**Paul: **"My team is lucky to have me," he bragged. "Plus, Flora is on my team finally. I'm super excited for that. I will lead them to victory."

**Angie: **"I guess I have no choice but to lead my team," she noted. "No one else can do it."

**Kayla: **"I have a diverse team who's used diverse strategies," she said with a smile. "This could be interesting."

**Luna: **"Ah, the joy of not having Norm to deal with," she said with relief. "No one can stand in my way."

**Scarlett: **"It's quite advantageous to not have Max with me. I can't wait to stop them all in their tracks." She then paused. "Luna will be an issue. But, I know better than to mess with the competition. I need to get rid of her fair and square, and I will."

**Jasmine: **"I don't trust that Marty guy," she told the outhouse. "I think he's up to something, and now I don't have Shawn to help me out."

**Iris: **"My team is going to be an issue," she said. "My issue isn't the personnel," she clarified, "but rather the cooperation. I'm not going to have fun trying to last through this pit of danger."

* * *

"Uh, Chris?" Lavender asked. "Any chance I could switch teams?"

Chris shook his head. "All of this is final. Good luck trying to make it through." Lavender sighed.

As the challenge was almost done setting up, the teams had a brief time to start speaking.

"So," Iris said in a doubtful tone. "Scarlett, care to tell us why we shouldn't send you away first?"

Scarlett sighed. "I cannot begin to apologize for my mistakes in the past, but I do hope you will allow me to try again. My time in solitary confinement was very helpful to my well being."

Iris shot her a look of distrust, but shrugged it off for the time being. As she began losing focus again, Luna eyed up Scarlett and smirked to herself.

* * *

**Luna: **She laughed to herself. "They all might fall for Scarlett's ruse, but I'm smarter than that. Besides, I'm at an advantage. It will be interesting to see what will happen to her." She laughed again. "This'll be good."

* * *

Chris sighed. "That kid's really taking a while to hide that idol," he thought out loud. He then scoffed. "I bet Chef would have done it faster. Oh well, he will learn..."

Meanwhile, the Eagles continued to converse. Kara looked over to Iris, who after speaking to Scarlett decided to keep quiet. She walked over, and decided to speak to her. "Hey, you got your hair dyed," she commented.

Iris scoffed at Kara. "Wrong. I reverted it back to what I normally keep it. I wanted all you people to remember that you don't know a thing about me." As she said this, Luna looked over at them and smirked.

Kara took note of the harsh tone of the paranoid girl. "You good?" she asked the paranoid girl, who nodded her head.

Iris dismissed any chance of conversation quickly. "I'm fine. Don't inquire again." Kara nodded and backed off. She felt like something was wrong with Iris, as she was not as snappy as normal. Kara decided to let it go for now.

The Meerkats were in a very different setting. "So, I'm going to be the leader," Paul noted. "I have the most experience here, and I'm very capable."

"As if." Everyone turned to see Angie, hands on her hips, and shaking her head. "You need to let me handle this. I know what I'm doing, and both my eliminations were flukes, if we recall."

Paul laughed. "Flukes? I tricked you, and you threw away your game for Gretchen!"

"Gretchen isn't here!" Angie countered. She was evidently mad now. "I'm focused on _my_ game, and that will require me to be the leader!"

The two continued bickering, until someone interjected. "Guys!" Jasmine shouted. She stood above them, causing them to step back for a bit. "I'll take charge for this one. It'll get my mind of having to go up against Shawn again, and I've done this challenge before."

Paul and Angie exchanged glances, and eventually, Angie spoke up. "That will do, for now. But I'm leading this team."

"In your dreams," Paul muttered.

* * *

**Jasmine: **"Those two better not argue the whole time," she barked. "I need people to focus if we're gonna win some challenges." She then sighed. "I just hope Shawn'll be alright. He's going to have to fight hard so we can both stay in."

* * *

Eventually, Chander returned to Chris, huffing and puffing. "I...hid it..." he said in between breaths, trying to remain standing. "I don't think...anyone's...gonna find it..."

Chris nodded, happy he was back but still evidently mad at the amount of time it took his new co-host to return. "Thanks, we can finally get on with the game. I can't wait to put your abilities to the test!"

Chander's eyes went wide. "There's more to do?" he asked in a very shocked tone.

Chris laughed. "There's always more to do. Please keep in mind you get paid for each episode." That last sentence caught Chander's attention. He had forgotten that this job pays.

* * *

**Chander:** "This gig is probably gonna suck," he said, "but let's face it, I probably would not have beaten everyone here. So, I might as well get paid something for my efforts, right?"

* * *

The Meerkats and the Eagles look up at Chris, who stood next to Chander on the large rock face in front of the junk pile. "I hope you're all ready for this one, because it's gonna be even more brutal than before!" He cocked a tennis ball launcher, and handed it to Chander, who hesitantly took it.

Chris then turned to the camera. "Who's gonna dominate the first challenge? Will the team leaders hold their ground? Where in the world is that idol? Who's going to take everyone down? Find out this season on Total! Drama! Fiery Passion!"

(END OF PART ONE)

* * *

**Current Teams:**

**Extreme Eagles: **Ethan, Iris, Kara, Kayla, Lavender, Luna, Scarlett, Shawn, Sky

**Middle Meerkats: **Angie, Flora, Jasmine, Jonathan, Marty, Max, Norm, Paul, Sugar

Elimination Order:

19th (kind of)- Chander, The Spooky Prankster

* * *

**So, that's the first chapter, hope you like it!**

**Most people have their ambitions stated right off the bat. With the exception of the first boot, everyone will be involved in something. Chander doesn't count as the first boot, but he's there as a placement.**

**Speaking of Chander, welcome to the new co-host! I felt like I needed to do more with Chander, and the aftermaths got real caught up in Randall/Alexa stuff. So, here he is, playing a major role in this season. He too gets a super fun plot line with one of the contestants. Can you guess who?**

**Speaking of plot, the teams are here. Friendly reminder, anyone who wants to try and predict what will happen, I mentioned that Iris and Flora needed to be on those specific teams, which made their placements as they are. This is also the reason Lavender and Kayla's placements didn't matter, because they would have been on that team regardless.**

**The first challenge is going to be building shelters, since Dave did the thing...but the fire will come at the second challenge. I promise.**

**So, who's your pick to win this season? Who do you think is going to go far? Who don't you want to go far? Let me know in the reviews! I know you people will be excited!**

**Also, in terms of updating, the next chapter will go up when it's ready. No set time for anything this time around. I'm writing this a few months in advance so I imagine I'll have a few backed up by the time it actually goes up.**

**Finally, I have a poll set up on my profile, you might want to check it out.**

**Anyway, here's the opening. There's only one way to find out what happens next. See you next time!**


	2. Fresh Batch of Robots, Part 2

**Replies! Everyone goes this time!**

**Guest 1138- I would most certainly target Luna too, but we'll have to see if the rest of the team feels that way...or if they even win. Let's see!**

**TheCrisanthemum- Thanks! It's about time this series gets wrapped up though. If you want to continue seeing these characters, vote in the poll for the shuffled series!**

**Sephiria Arks- Thanks! I'm looking forward to the rest of this story! I think it's gonna be good!**

**Guest- Due to the length of all the chapters here, I will not be doing aftermaths, just because it would be way too much.**

**Space Zodiac- I'm excited to improve upon both those stories. This one will be the length of submerged, but with about 2/3 the chapters, meaning that chapters are going to be around 7k words each.**

**Let's see who's the first to go!**

* * *

Episode 2: A Fresh Batch of Robots, Part 2

Chris stood atop of the rock that overlooked the junk pile. The challenge was about to get underway. "We're about to begin our best season yet with this first challenge!" He exclaimed. The scenes switched to various campers dropping out of the helicopter, such as Max getting pushed out, Paul diving with intensity, Sugar doing a cannon ball, and Norm blandly walking right off. "We've gathered our top six from the past three seasons to see who's the best of the best! People seem to already be connecting," he continued, as scenes of Sugar speaking to Paul and Angie, and Iris confronting Scarlett played over his voice. "We're about to begin this first challenge, where we can expect to see a lot of brutality brought by our new co-host, Chander!" The scene of Chander taking the idol to hide it and Chander's "elimination". The scene switched back to Chris on the rock face. "Who will drop first? Who will take them all down? Find out right now, on Total! Drama! Fiery Passion!"

* * *

**Opening Sequence**

[Various cameras began to appear in a similar way to the other seasons. The first one appeared out of a lily pad, which seemed to be mechanically connected to the water. Next, one came out of a tree, which spit out some fire as the camera popped out. The final one fell on top of the outhouse confessional, and exploded into a burning flame. The camera then began to fly as the opening played.]

_Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doing fine,_

[The camera arrived at a waterfall, where Shawn poked his head out, to see Jasmine waiting for him. He waved a signal as she went in.]

_You guys are on my mind,_

[Next to the waterfall, Marty stares at them with a scowl on his face. He picks up a stick, smirks at the waterfall, and snaps the stick.]

_You asked me what I wanted to be, and I think the answer is plain to see_

[The camera flies over the waterfall, where Sky is doing Olympic style jumps. She lands one perfectly, much to Jonathan's amazement. Iris runs by and smacks Jonathan over the head. Ethan laughs in the back as Jonathan fumes.]

_I wanna be famous!_

[The camera flies to a clearly mechanical mountain, where Paul and Angie are intensely competing. Angie barely beats him up the hill, which angers Paul.]

_I wanna live close to the sun_

[Lavender and Flora smile at each other as they run off. A hand reaches out to stop one of them.]

_Go pack your bags, 'cause I've already won_

[Lavender turns her head to see Scarlett. The quiet brainiac signals for Lavender to follow her instead.]

_Everything to prove, nothing in my way,_ _I'll get there one day_

[As Sugar tries her hardest trying to build something, she laughs at her own brilliance. Meanwhile, Norm fakes a fall, knocking it over. He gives the pageant queen a sheepish but fake smile.]

_I wanna be famous_

[Paul and Angie are seen in a hot race again, this time Paul has the lead. He skids to a halt and trips her, causing her to fall.]

_Na na nanana na, nanana na, nananananana_

[Kayla kicks the ground, evidently bored, while her sister, Kara, investigates a pipe spitting out fire on the others side. A ball of fire shoots by and ignites another pipe, which causes Kara to look back. Chander is seen blowing out ignition fuel.]

_I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous!_

[Various other high ranking, non-competing contestants appear in silhouettes, as fire shoots out from behind them. Some have items like swords or heavy weights in their hand. Others are just standing there in a menacing fashion.]

_I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous!_

[The scene zooms into the fire, which changes to a traditional campfire.]

_*Whistling*_

[Luna stares at Max with a bright green glow, while Max offers her a contraption he made. The psychic fixes it with her mind, which causes the others to glare at her as they whistle.]

* * *

The two teams sit in preparation to start the challenge. "I hope you all are ready to rumble!" Chris told them. A few of them, Flora and Kara especially, looked concerned. Most of the others looked determined, but Norm sat there in utter boredom.

"We don't have to hurt each other, right?" Flora asked, looking over at her friend who was stuck on the other team. She wished that her and Paul would all be together, but it didn't work out.

Chris gave the trademark evil laugh, which caused a couple gulps and a couple eye rolls. "Not today," Chris said. "Chander will be shooting at you from up here while you go for supplies. Once I give the signal, you are out of time to get materials, and must build your shelter with whatever you can." Chris gathered the Meerkats and Eagles on opposing sides. "Ready...go!" Chris sent them off, and they got underway on the first challenge of the season.

The Eagles already began plotting by the time they were signaled to start. "Okay, everyone," Ethan started, hoping to take charge. "We need a plan on what to build so we all grab consistent materials."

Lavender shook her head. "It's best we go now and grab what we can, so we have more options," she argued. She was not looking forward to listening to Ethan for a season, and tried to use this as a chance to take charge.

"The hero boy has a point," Iris said. "We need something before we go. It's simply smarter." She turned to the unofficial leader. "What do you recommend we do?"

The anti-villain thought about it briefly. "What about a bunker?" he suggested. "Something tells me that Chris'll be ready for an aerial fortress this time around."

Scarlett nodded. "You...actually have a point. Hm."

* * *

**Scarlett: **"Ethan actually proved himself worthwhile," she noted. "I might actually consider keeping him around."

**Ethan: **"It seems that Scarlett has taken note of my abilities," he pointed out. He thought about it again, and laughed. "_I_ am the only one on this team who Scarlett respects. This could be interesting."

* * *

The Meerkats sat there, listening to Jasmine. "We should build in the same spot as we did last time. After all, we won the challenge this way."

"A vile decision," Max fought back. "Chris will be ready to backstab us!"

Paul put his hands up, hoping to settle this quickly. "Let's take a vote. Anyone who agrees with Jasmine to build the sky tower, raise your hands." He put his hand up, followed by Flora, Jonathan, Sugar, and Marty. After a brief moment, Norm raised his hand as well. Angie gave him a suspicious look.

* * *

**Norm: **"It's a terrible decision," he said, slowly mapping out the process in his head. "Chris is definitely more prepared this time. So, why did I agree? I want to be in the wrong at all times. I have a feeling getting out will be easier than I had planned."

* * *

Paul continued to mediate. "Great, now who agrees with the purple gremlin?" Angie and Max were the only ones to raise their hands. "There, we go for the skies again," he said.

"What about a wizard's tower?" Sugar suggested.

Norm nodded. "That's a well thought out decision. I think it will work." His face showed the utmost sincerity.

Angie shook her head and then waved everyone on. "We're running out of time. Let's just go for the sky fort and rush the junk pile." She waved everyone on again as the group started to gather supplies. She stopped Norm on the way out. Once everyone left, she looked at him angrily. "What do you think you're doing?"

Norm shrugged. "It was a good idea, and we needed to validate that."

"I heard what Luna said," she told him. Norm's face straightened out, to show he was genuinely listening now. "If you're trying to leave, you're a free liability I can use whenever I want, which means I'm going to keep you around."

Norm got on his knees, and began to beg. "Please, just let me leave! I don't want to be here!"

"Like it or not," the aggravated girl shouted, "you're here to win, and I will drag you to right when I require my butt to be saved!"

* * *

**Angie: **"Norm's got a lot going for him," she mentioned. "He smart and cunning, and knows how to get what he wants. Problem is, he always does it under a facade. He did it through Ethan, then, under the fact that he was only there for sabotage. Now, he wants to leave. He's a free boot for me to use whenever, and believe me, there is definitely an easier first boot."

* * *

As the Meerkats stormed the pile, the Eagles also came out of their meeting and began to storm the pile. "Here they come," Chris ordered Chander. "Get ready to fire at them."

Chander fumbled with the tennis ball launcher. "How much will this hurt? I'm totally down to use one of these, but to fire it on people seems pretty harsh..."

Chris sighed, and then looked at Chander with a straight face. "As harsh as it was to be sent home first?" The statement caught Chander off guard. It reminded him that a lot of this team was the group who sent him home. All these people beat him out. He took the launcher, aimed, and began to fire. "That's better," Chris said. He chuckled. "It'll get easier as time passes."

* * *

Chander took aim at Ethan first, who quickly ducked behind a small pile. Inspecting what was around him, he began to put on some of the junk around him. At this point, Scarlett approached him. "What are you doing?" she asked, annoyed. "I expect this behavior from Max, not you."

Ethan laughed, and began to walk out into the open, drawing all the fire. The tennis balls were fast and powerful, but Ethan's new junk armor made him feel none of it. "Go! Everyone!" he called out. "Start grabbing stuff!" The Eagles began to grab equipment without the draw of fire on them.

As the draw of fire shifted to the Meerkats, they began to shuffle for protection. Paul and Angie stopped, looked at each other with determination, and then split directions, Paul taking the left and Angie taking the right. Chander drew his fire to Angie, while Paul gathered supplies. Angie picked up a few boards and placed them in front of her to act as a shield once she reached the pile.

"Nice work, team!" Jasmine complimented. She picked up a rock and threw it at Chander's launcher, which missed barely.

Chander began to scramble for protection. "Chris, any ideas?" he asked while the host sat there doing nothing.

Chris put up a small, pitiful wall around him, that barely reached half his height. "That should help. Now get going! I have to prep the tests for the shelters." Chander nodded as Chris left.

* * *

Sky was running into the pile, when she caught Chander's eye. She dodged the first onslaught, then hid behind a pile. When she turned around, she saw Flora and Jonathan fumbling with supplies. Chander shot a perfect shot at the pile Sky was behind, and the pile began to fall. As Sky was about to be crushed underneath it, she grabbed a hold on the top part and swung herself up, picking up a plank from the top and throwing it over Chander's wall, hitting the launcher, and temporarily breaking it.

Jonathan sat there in amazement, while Flora began trying to get out. Without enough time left, they both got put under the pile. Paul turned around to see them. "Oh man," he groaned, running over to help out Flora specifically.

* * *

**Flora: **"This season is really brutal," she admitted. "I don't know how much of it I can handle, but I know Paul wants me to go all the way."

* * *

Paul eventually cleared off enough space to pull Flora out. "Are you okay?" he asked with genuine concern.

Flora nodded. "Thank you." She gave Paul a quick kiss on the cheek. Paul then took a pipe from the junk pile and threw it over at Chander, who dodged it at the last second. The two continued to look for supplies.

Meanwhile, Jonathan rummaged his own way out, gasping for air.

* * *

**Jonathan: **"Would I like to think I was distracted by the giant pile of trash falling on me?" he asked with a hint of anger. "Probably, but it wasn't. Yep...definitely not the pile."

* * *

He turned to the athlete, amazed at how she got out. "Just...wow..."

"Huh?" Sky asked, not hearing what he actually said.

"Nothing!" The brutal lover called out, gathering supplies again. Sky took note of the quick change and rolled her eyes.

* * *

**Sky: **"I've seen that reaction before," she said. "It's exactly what Dave did. No way am I letting that happen again."

* * *

Just as Chander finishes putting together the machine again, a sword comes flying at him. He dodged it at the last second, very terrified of what might have happened had he acted a bit later. The launching machine fell down, and one arm of it fell off. The camera pans over to Iris, who has a look of disgust on her face. "That was underwhelming," she said with a shrug.

Kara finished gathering a bunch of stuff, and tossed it on the ground. Kayla gave her a confused look, as most of the materials she got wasn't good for building a house. "What's with all the stuff?" she asked. "Not really that useful."

* * *

**Kara: **She showed the camera a piece of paper. "About thirty percent of what I got was for the challenge. The rest of it...it's for me to get even further underground. I know there's something here."

* * *

Kayla then turned to the paranoid one. "What about you?" she asked her. "You don't look so great today either."

Iris put a hand up to her. "Don't even try to connect with me. I don't want to hear it." The new blonde walked off, leaving the other two confused.

Kayla thought for a second, and then connected some things in her mind. "Kara," she told her sister, "I figured out who's strategy I want to try out."

"Oh no," the curious girl warned. "She's nuts, and I don't think you want a part of that..."

"But I do," the brat admitted. She grabbed a handful more of supplies. "When's Chris gonna tell us to build?"

Kara shrugged, as she searched the pile for more materials for her own project. She then stopped, and thought about what she was doing. She decided to go talk to Iris. It seemed like a good choice. "Hey," she tried opening up with. Iris didn't move. "Look," Kara said, more seriously. "I don't know what you normally are like, but this isn't it. Something's wrong, and you have to tell me. It can only help."

Iris kicked the ground a bit, before realizing that Kara was not going to give up on this. The best chance would be to answer this question. "I'm fine," she said again. "Quaoar and I are having a small issue, nothing to worry about."

Ethan heard this statement. "What about Quaoar?" he began to run over when he was hit square in the legs with a few tennis balls. "Never mind..."

Iris returned to Kara, with a scowl on her face. "Now you know. It's not your problem, so stay out of it." Iris walked off to get materials.

Kara thought about what she said for a moment, and then turned to Kayla. "You really want to act like her this season?"

Kayla laughed. "It would be great." Kara gave her an uncertain stare. Kayla laughed again, this time, a bit more nervous.

* * *

**Kayla: **"Yeah, I'm bored," she said in an aggravated tone. "What about it? Just let me do what I want."

* * *

Chander shot three more rounds into the pile, to which Norm got hit by all three. "Geez, you really got good at that quickly," he faked. On the other end, Angie stared at him with a glare.

The interaction was stopped by Chris. "Okay everyone, you've had your fun gathering, now find a spot to build!" A giant net flew out of the sky and enclosed the pile.

The Meerkats quickly convened to discuss a location. "We should go to where we built the wizard's tower!" Sugar commented. Everyone shot her a disgusted look.

"Why don't we do it all in the same spot?" Angie mocked. "It worked last time."

Jasmine and Paul did not catch up on the sarcasm. "Excellent suggestion," Jasmine told the aggravated girl.

Someone else interrupted to add in another horrendous idea. "Here's a real idea," Marty started, "we go the opposite direction of the other team. We could spy on them and they wouldn't see it coming."

"I'm still on team wizard," Norm said with his best fake eagerness. On the outside of the group, Angie groaned.

* * *

**Angie: **"My team isn't really this dumb, right?" she asked the outhouse. "How do I get a switch underway? Lavender wanted to switch, right?"

* * *

Jasmine shut them all up. "Listen, we have the materials, we should just go to the same spot." The team began to move to their location, while Angie sighed in the back.

"They're all inferior, aren't they?" Angie heard. She turned behind her to see Max, scowling. Angie considered it for a brief second, and eventually decided against replying to him. She walked off in a huff.

* * *

The Eagles put everything they had in a pile. "Okay, let's see what we've got," Ethan said to the team, grabbing some things from their pile of material. He picked up some shovels first, and tossed them to people. "This is useful. Some people start digging now so we can get this done on time. I'll speak loud enough so you can still hear." He tossed shovels to Kayla, Shawn, and Iris. He then picked up some metal sheets. "Uh...anyone have a blowtorch?"

Luna's eyes widened, and one came floating at Ethan from the materials they had gathered. "Like this one?" she asked with a harsh tone.

Ethan inhaled briefly, and let out a quick sigh. "Okay, we need to talk about that later." He shook his head to himself. "You and Scarlett, start making a casing." The two girls walked over to the metal. Luna began to use her telekinesis on the blowtorch, when she was interrupted. "Not with the mind stuff. With your hands." Luna growled and picked the tool up manually.

"Your powers are underutilized," Scarlett told her as they began to work. She gave her a confident smirk.

Luna groaned. "Don't bother playing nice with me, I know you haven't changed." She continued to melt the sheets of metal together.

Scarlett responded by leaning in to the psychic and whispering. "They don't need to know that, and you could benefit from having that leverage."

This intrigued Luna. "What do you mean?" she asked in response.

"I'm thinking that I could easily drop a huge target," Scarlett said. "All I need is a bit of help from you." Luna looked at her and nodded. "Excellent," the brainiac laughed.

* * *

**Scarlett: **"I'm actually working on two," she confessed. "I need one gone first, and it won't be an issue."

**Luna: **"Ethan doesn't want me to use my powers?" She groaned. "That's ridiculous! I think I deserve them! But, my deal with Scarlett is advantageous to me." She snickered. "I hope she knows that once she deals with whoever it is, I drop her."

* * *

Sugar was busy digging through the Meerkat pile. "Why ain't there any glitter?" she complained. "Nothin' we build is gonna be good without glitter!"

Paul looked down from the old tree and glared at her as he nailed part of the roof onto the body of the house. "We don't need that. In fact, we don't need-" he paused as Flora looked at him, interested to hear what he had to say next. Paul cleared his throat and stopped talking, returning to work.

"Weak," Angie scoffed at him. "We don't need glitter," she told Sugar. "Case closed."

"I'll open it back up," Norm suggested. "It could add strong aesthetic. Someone should go back and steal it, and I can handle that." Angie responded by grabbing rope and tying Norm to a nearby tree. "You know I can't help like this, right?"

Angie returned to working. "Better that you don't work than hinder us."

* * *

The scene cut to Chris and Chander in a facility that looked similar to the control room. "This is your home base," Chris said. "We won't have you extremely active on the challenges on the outside, but we need you to bring the heat from below. Got it?"

Chander nodded. "When you say, 'bring the heat,' does it have anything to do with those three suspicious pipes over there?" He pointed to three pipes that stuck out of the ground, surrounded by an orange carpet. "It's just, I feel like that was literal. Like, really literal."

Chris laughed as he looked at the pipes. "Oh, it was. This is gonna be an explosive season..." Chander looked at the pipes again and smiled.

* * *

**Chander: **"So, from what I got, I get paid to not compete, do a bit of work, and play with fire. How is this not everyone's dream job? Besides, if we get in trouble, I'm just a co-host. It won't be my fault." He leaned back and sighed in relief. "This will be fun."

* * *

"It must be rough, not having Flora with you," Kara said, trying to talk to Lavender. The two were finishing up digging the hole the bunker frame would go in. "You two were really tight last season."

Lavender shrugged as she took another scoop of dirt out of the ground. "I'm managing. I mean, it's not like I would have gone out of my way to really talk to anyone here."

Kara tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

Lavender gestured to the team. "Who here is actually safe to talk to? Ethan's trying to control the team, Luna and Scarlett are clearly scheming already, Shawn and Sky are useless, Iris is, well, Iris, and you've seen Kayla." She put her shovel in the ground with more force this time, riled up from analyzing her team.

"I know," Kara agreed. "Kayla's been weird so far." She looked around at the work they put into their structure. "I think we're ready for that frame." She turned to Lavender. "If you need someone to talk to, I'm always here."

Lavender nodded. "Thanks for the input, but I think I'll take this place alone for a bit." Kara nodded as Lavender walked off, and then let out a heavy sigh.

* * *

**Kara: **"So...no one's gonna be my friend this time around? That kinda sucks." Then, her face lit up. "Then again, I can inspect this island faster without anyone else to worry about..."

* * *

Paul tossed up some planks to Jasmine, who was building up in the tree. "That should be the last of them!" he called up.

Jasmine nodded as she put the planks down. She looked out into the distance, where the beach was visible on two sides on the fort. "Do you think we're far from the others?" she asked the team members who were up in the fort with her.

"I don't think we're very close," Flora noted. "We trekked a good distance over here."

This caused Jasmine to sigh at an audible level, which triggered another team member. "Are you two serious?" Marty complained. "Get your heads in the game! Your zombie boyfriend is on the other team. Get over it. I would like to make the merge safely, which will require us to essentially never lose."

"Quite honestly," Angie called out to him, "we don't care what you have to think. You have no say until you prove otherwise."

Marty scoffed. "Last time I checked, you weren't in charge."

"Please stop fighting," Flora whispered to herself. No one heard her, but it made her feel better to say it.

Meanwhile, Jonathan and Paul were down with Norm. "Either of you care to untie me?" he asked. Jonathan began to walk over, when Norm changed his mind. "You know what, change of plans."

"What could you possibly want?" Paul asked him, growing annoyed at the disarray of his team.

Norm looked at them. "I'll be real with you two. I need out, and for some reason, Angie wants to keep me here. I need to be eliminated by a vote, and I would like to think I have your votes."

Jonathan nodded in agreement, while Paul grimaced. "Yeah, I think my vote's been decided for the night. Maybe if we have another chance to-" He paused, and chuckled to himself, looking up at Angie. "We'll see what we can do."

"Could I get a hammer?" Jasmine asked the boys on the bottom. Sugar ran over to it, and hurled it up with the highest amount of power she could handle. The hammer flew up through the fort, putting a hole in the roof and the floor where it entered. "Well, it's up here..." Jasmine said, trying to stay positive.

The boys down below then heard bickering up at the top of the fort again. More arguing was enough for Paul. "I'm going up there to settle it," he said with a groan. "Someone has to."

As he climbed up the ladder, Marty's voice sounded out from them. "I'm not listening to some unofficial leader! That's final." As they kept listening to the argument, Jonathan twitched a little.

* * *

**Jonathan: **"Wow," he said, shaking his head. "I can't believe I acted like that last season...no wonder my team hated me." He stopped to think again. "But what about Karon? I still don't get what I could have done better..."

* * *

"I-I'm going to go take a walk," Jonathan said.

He began to walk away, when someone stopped him. "I'll probably hate myself for this later," Norm suggested, "but come untie me and let me go off. We can tell them you went after me. I'll be at the beach." Norm walked off. "Find me when you're done."

"Really?" Jonathan asked him. "That's nice of you."

Norm shrugged. "I'd hate to see any of you voted off before me."

* * *

"Careful!" Ethan called out as the team worked together to lower the bunker frame.

The team struggled to put the frame of the bunker down. After some time though, they managed to drop it in. However, currently what they had was a sad sheet of metal over ground. It was a structure and a place to live, but that was it. "We should decorate it at the very least," Lavender suggested.

"We have time," Ethan decided. "I think that's a wonderful idea."

"So be it," Scarlett muttered. Ethan smirked as he watched the brainiac agree. Then, they all went to look for some form of decoration for the bunker

* * *

Jonathan kicked some rocks along a path he found. The path opened up to the beach, where the waves desperately tried to create some calming aura. He tried to recall some events that he felt were big plays in the game for him.

_"Excellent," Jonathan said darkly, then poured the cup of green stuff in Ethan's bowl._

_Jonathan rolled his eyes. "Figured you'd say that, so I have so clips that prove otherwise..." He pulled up a TV and hit a button._

_Jonathan did not pick up on the sarcasm. He leaned in and kissed Madison on the lips._

The last flashback really made him shudder. "Man, was I really that awful?"

"Yup," Norm said, laying down on a rock. Jonathan turned to see the genius relaxing. "You kinda sucked. That's all I got for you."

"You were on my team before," Jonathan reminded him. "What was the biggest issue you saw?"

Norm sighed. "I didn't want to have to get into this more than I needed to, but if we're really looking at it, you never forgave Ethan for 'stealing' Madison from you, vowed revenge, and refused to take anyone else's help that wasn't a vote." His air quotes around the word 'stealing' were heavy and extremely over-exaggerated. Jonathan sighed and shook his head again. "Wanna go back?" Jonathan nodded. "Great. I was never here."

* * *

Chris and Chander walked over to the Meerkats' structure first. The tree fort looked nearly identical to the original model. This one was on the larger side, with supports from underneath to hold up the new structure. More notably, the holes from Sugar's hammer throw still existed. "Meerkats," he said at first, getting their attention. Then, the host looked around. "You seem to be missing a few people."

At that moment, Jonathan returned, holding Norm. "The brat untied himself. Luckily I caught him." Angie glared at Norm, while Chander began to climb the tree fort.

"The ladder is super stable," Chander commented. Then, he placed a sort of sensor on the table in the middle of the fort, and began to rapidly climb down the ladder. "You all might want to do this too."

"Chander!" Chris called out to him. "Don't tell them to do that! It would have been funnier!" The Meerkats that were on top began to descend down as well, and a bunch of robot birds began to dart at the fort. As the birds collided with the fort, most of them stuck into the outer wall, while some penetrated through the outside, causing bigger holes in the western edge. "Should have used more metal. Also, this is super unoriginal."

"Ha!" Max shouted. "You all should have listened to me."

* * *

**Max: **"It is only a matter of time before they start realizing who the real best player is on this team," he said with confidence.

**Angie: **"A world where Max is calling the shots is not one I want to be in." Then, she scowled even more. "Also, Norm is becoming a pest. Keeping him around will be a chore."

* * *

"A-at least it's still standing," Jasmine noted, trying to keep the team at peace. At that point, Sugar fell through the floor of the fort and landed on the ground, making a giant hole in one side. It was still habitable, but barely.

* * *

"I think we have a real solid build here," Sky noted. The bunker was now decked out with a carpet, some tables and chairs, and a few pads that could be used for sleeping.

At that point in time, Chris and Chander made it to the Eagle bunker. "Glad you could make it," Ethan told them. "Allow me to-"

"No," Chander interrupted him. "Allow me." He looked over at Chris, who nodded in approval. Chander went in and placed a sensor in the bunker. The birds came flying at the bunker from the ground, and darted toward the area. As the contestants ran out of the way, the birds kept gaining speed, but never hit the bunker, since it was below ground.

Chander shuffled aimlessly for a second, then ran over to the sensor. "Hm...maybe from the top?" He hit a button, and the birds flew up in the air to hit the bunker from the top. A few of them got stuck, but most of them simply bounced off the metal roofing.

Chris nodded. "Impressive, and it's a new build."

Ethan beamed as the team cheered. "I guess you can lead, if you want," Lavender told him.

"Thanks," Ethan replied. "I need that."

* * *

The teams gathered on the beach to get final results. "Why are there footprints here?" Paul asked.

"There aren't," Norm countered. Paul looked at him with a glare before deciding to drop it.

Chander and Chris arrived, standing in between the two teams. "Well, it was certainly closer than last time," Chris said, but the winners this time around are...the Extreme Eagles!" The Eagles cheered and high-fived, while the Meerkats grumbled.

"Meerkats," Chris said. "I need to see you up top for a vote."

* * *

The Meerkats worked on repairing the holes in their structure. "I can't believe we didn't win," Sugar complained. "It's all your faults for not letting me get the glitter!"

"Wrong!" Max shouted back at her. "I was the only one who wanted to do something better!" Angie simply walked over and stared him down briefly, before Max added. "With the assistance of one of my wonderful teammates."

"I kinda just want to vote," Paul suggested. "Let's see how this goes." A few others murmured in agreement.

* * *

Luna and Scarlett were hanging out outside the bunker. "So...you and Max," Luna opened with.

Scarlett cringed and let out an audible sound of disgust. "Not at all. I'm so glad he's on the other team. He'd make me his 'sidekick' again. You realize how much I hated that, right?"

Luna laughed. "Only teasing you. So..who were you thinking about dropping early?"

* * *

**Luna: **"Scarlett is one of the only people who will allow me to openly scheme, and I can get more info on her like this." She then smirked and leaned against the confessional wall. "Also, with Max clearly ripe for the plucking, I was thinking he'd make a good underling." She grumbled after that. "But he's on the other team. No help there. None of these people are worth it here."

* * *

Scarlett thought about it. "I want a challenge. Not someone who would be easily taken away. Someone I'd need to weaken first." She peered into the bunker and eyed up Lavender. "And I think I know who my challenge will be..."

* * *

Norm relaxed in a makeshift chair outside the confessional. "Thanks for your help," Norm said to Sugar as she walked out. "I hope it's enough."

"What are you doing?" Angie asked him as she walked up to him. "I thought we agreed that we would just vote."

Norm laughed. "I'm allowed to lie and break the rules of the team. What will you do, vote me off?" Angie hissed at him as she stormed in the outhouse. She came out and threw an empty roll of toilet paper at him.

"Just so you know, I did not vote for you!" she shouted. Norm shrugged. He figured it was locked down anyway.

* * *

**Elimination 1**

The scene swapped to nighttime, where Chris gathered them all over by the cannon. "This is where one of you flies into the sky tonight, he explained. "Some of you should figure that you're safe, while others, you should be worried." He took them over to the campfire. "Chander, prep the cannon."

"Will do, boss man," Chander obeyed.

There were nine seats at the fire, five in the back, four in the front. In the back sat Jasmine, Paul, Angie, Jonathan, and Sugar. In the front sat Max, Norm, Flora, and Marty. Chris held up the grey plate, holding eight marshmallows on it. "Campers," he told them. "I have eight marshmallows for the nine of you. You know the deal. No treat, no feat. Right into the cannon with you."

A few of the campers looked at the cannon nervously. "It's not as painful as it looks," Jasmine reassured Flora.

Chris held up two marshmallows to begin. He tossed them over. "Jasmine, Max. You two are safe." Max smirked as the marshmallow came flying at his head, while Jasmine caught it on one hand. "Angie." Angie's landed on her lap, and she smiled.

"Paul." Paul didn't react as his came at him. He caught it and nodded. Chris held up one more. "Jonathan." Jonathan sighed in relief as his treat of safety got to him.

Marty stared down the other two as Sugar began to get nervous. Norm laid back and relaxed. "Marty," Chris said, announcing he was safe. Marty took his marshmallow and scowled at his team. He was insulted he was this low.

Chris then faced the last two. "Sugar, you're responsible for putting in as many holes in your shelter as the birds did, and Norm, you're here because you want to. You are a true fool for trying to miss out on a million dollars."

"I desperately don't want it," Norm reminded him.

Chris held up the final marshmallow. "The first camper voted off is...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...Sugar!" Chris tossed the marshmallow to Norm, who turned to his team in pure shock.

"Are you kidding me? I thought I could trust you guys."

Paul shrugged. "Sorry, man, but I couldn't have her around anymore. maybe next time."

Sugar yelled. "That's not fair! I should be winnin' this whole thing!"

* * *

The next scene was Sugar in the cannon. "I really get to launch her?" Chander asked.

"As a reward for doing slightly okay," Chris told him. Chander excitedly pushed the button to send her away.

"Nooooooooooooo!" Sugar screamed as she flew into the sky.

Chris sighed in relief. The rest of them began to go to their shelters. "There's one down. Who will drop next? Who won't drop at all? Who's ready to start feeling the heat? Find out next time on Total! Drama! Fiery Passion!"

* * *

Paul left the confessional after checking the votes. "This is really helpful," he said to Norm, who was approaching the outhouse. "Sorry again."

"Whatever," Norm said as he opened up the confessional door, and began to watch the vote tapes. "I'm so glad this is back," he said to himself. "This should make the next vote a bunch easier."

(END OF CHAPTER)

* * *

**Votes- Middle Meerkats**

**Angie: **Seriously? Norm is trying to campaign to get himself eliminated? Fine, I'll work double the effort to make sure he stays! I need that free liability. Speaking of liability, Sugar, I need you gone.

**Flora: **Sugar did do rather poor today...I'm sorry.

**Jasmine: **I hope they don't get mad at me for trying to repeat too much. But I really don't like how Marty treated me today, so he gets my vote.

**Jonathan: **I don't plan on showing many of my reasonings, since I know these will be checked. But, since he asked, Here you go, Norm.

**Marty: **Norm asked for himself to get booted, but Sugar is annoying. Sorry, squirt. Maybe next time.

**Max: **I need all of them gone to take over the island! But for now...Sugar. The vile being messed with my living domain!

**Norm: **I think we all know where this is going.

**Paul: **Sugar failed so miserably that I'm picking her over someone who wants to leave...wow.

**Sugar: **That Norm sure is a doofus... he's lettin' me vote him off right here!

**Total- Sugar (5), Norm (3), Marty (1)**

**Eliminated- Sugar**

* * *

**Current Teams:**

**Extreme Eagles: **Ethan, Iris, Kara, Kayla, Lavender, Luna, Scarlett, Shawn, Sky

**Middle Meerkats: **Angie, Flora, Jasmine, Jonathan, Marty, Max, Norm, Paul

Elimination Order:

19th (kind of)- Chander, The Spooky Prankster

18th- Sugar, The Pageant Queen

* * *

**We finally got rid of her!**

**It's not that I dislike Sugar, it's just that I had no reason to keep her, since she doesn't fit into the mood of this season at all.**

**How are you liking the interactions this time around? Everyone's doing something, and I hope that makes it more entertaining to read, so your favorite competitor isn't a sitting duck.**

**I'm excited to see what I can bring to this season. I really want it to be my strongest yet.**

**The fire is coming. Be warned.**

**I actually don't have a lot for this chapter. If you haven't voted for the poll, be sure to check that out, and if you have any questions, the PM's are open. Other than that, please leave a review, and I'll see you next time!**


	3. Increased Flame Rate

**Reply Time!**

**Guest 1138- I like to think of Luna and Scarlett of the Duncan and Alejandro of this season. Two giant targets who are constantly trying to best each other. They have some big plans this season.**

**Sephiria Arks- Iris's issue with Quaoar will in fact be revealed later. The method (not the actual issue) of how that happens is shown today, but it won't be a huge arc.**

**jdawg6739- The fire this season is literal. Most of the challenges involve fire, heat, or something of the sort. Some challenges will have more fire than others. This chapter is a big fire challenge.**

**Space Zodiac- Like I said, Sugar didn't fit the mood for this season at all. It's starting off pretty light, but this season has the same mood as around the Luna arc of Submerged- tense and dangerous. Because of that, Sugar simply didn't fit. And you're right, iconic characters leave very early. Today's elimination should be quite a surprise to you all.**

**Now, let's put up the fire power.**

* * *

Episode 3: Increased Flame Rate

Chris stood atop the grand Pahkitew Dock. Underneath him, in the water, Chander appeared to be messing with some contraption. Chris faced the camera to start the episode. "Previously, on Total Drama Fiery Passion, we got moving on our shelters! While mine was prepped weeks in advance, these suckers had half a day to gather materials and put their best foot forward." The scene cut to the Meerkats arguing over a building strategy, and Ethan taking charge of his team for the day. "The Middle Meerkats fought constantly about what to build, and it didn't help that some of their team wasn't helping." The scenes showed Norm getting posted to the tree by Angie, and Sugar complaining about the lack of glitter. "Meanwhile, the Extreme Eagles worked well, but extreme scheming seems to be going on under the surface." The clips showed Iris being extra dismissive and Luna and Scarlett talking to each other. "In the end, the Eagles managed to pull out a win with their bunker, and due to her high level of uselessness, Sugar was sent home first, over someone who tried to get themselves eliminated." The final clips were Norm attempting a proper exit, and Sugar's elimination.

The scene cut back to the dock, where Chander popped out of the water. As Chris continued, he pressed a button on a remote, and the object he was toying with began to shoot fire. Chris continued his setup. "Who's ready to take on what the island has to offer? Who's going to collapse under the heat? Find out today on Total! Drama! Fiery Passion!

* * *

**Opening Sequence**

[Various cameras began to appear in a similar way to the other seasons. The first one appeared out of a lily pad, which seemed to be mechanically connected to the water. Next, one came out of a tree, which spit out some fire as the camera popped out. The final one fell on top of the outhouse confessional, and exploded into a burning flame. The camera then began to fly as the opening played.]

_Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doing fine,_

[The camera arrived at a waterfall, where Shawn poked his head out, to see Jasmine waiting for him. He waved a signal as she went in.]

_You guys are on my mind,_

[Next to the waterfall, Marty stares at them with a scowl on his face. He picks up a stick, smirks at the waterfall, and snaps the stick.]

_You asked me what I wanted to be, and I think the answer is plain to see_

[The camera flies over the waterfall, where Sky is doing Olympic style jumps. She lands one perfectly, much to Jonathan's amazement. Iris runs by and smacks Jonathan over the head. Ethan laughs in the back as Jonathan fumes.]

_I wanna be famous!_

[The camera flies to a clearly mechanical mountain, where Paul and Angie are intensely competing. Angie barely beats him up the hill, which angers Paul.]

_I wanna live close to the sun_

[Lavender and Flora smile at each other as they run off. A hand reaches out to stop one of them.]

_Go pack your bags, 'cause I've already won_

[Lavender turns her head to see Scarlett. The quiet brainiac signals for Lavender to follow her instead.]

_Everything to prove, nothing in my way,_ _I'll get there one day_

[As Sugar tries her hardest trying to build something, she laughs at her own brilliance. Meanwhile, Norm fakes a fall, knocking it over. He gives the pageant queen a sheepish but fake smile.]

_I wanna be famous_

[Paul and Angie are seen in a hot race again, this time Paul has the lead. He skids to a halt and trips her, causing her to fall.]

_Na na nanana na, nanana na, nananananana_

[Kayla kicks the ground, evidently bored, while her sister, Kara, investigates a pipe spitting out fire on the others side. A ball of fire shoots by and ignites another pipe, which causes Kara to look back. Chander is seen blowing out ignition fuel.]

_I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous!_

[Various other high ranking, non-competing contestants appear in silhouettes, as fire shoots out from behind them. Some have items like swords or heavy weights in their hand. Others are just standing there in a menacing fashion.]

_I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous!_

[The scene zooms into the fire, which changes to a traditional campfire.]

_*Whistling*_

[Luna stares at Max with a bright green glow, while Max offers her a contraption he made. The psychic fixes it with her mind, which causes the others to glare at her as they whistle.]

* * *

The sun was beginning to rise. The camera moved to a tree, which Shawn jumped down from. He then proceeded to go into the forest to get food.

* * *

**Shawn: **"I'm not about to be eaten alive in a bunker, which is a structure meant to keep zombies _out_." He then gave a sheepish smile to the camera. "But...I figure if I'm not going to spending nights with them, the least I can do is get them some additional food."

* * *

The Meerkats were beginning to wake up. Jasmine decided to go look for some food. She had the survival skills and wanted to prove her worth to the team. As she began to leave, someone dropped from the top, surprising her. "Going somewhere?" they asked.

Jasmine turned around to see Marty, scowling and looking at her suspiciously. She hesitated, before answering, "I was going to get some food. No biggie."

Marty laughed for a second, and then quickly shifted back to a scowl. "Are you? And you're going unattended? Let me go with you."

Jasmine nodded. "Sure we could use an extra hand."

"Who's 'we'?" Marty demanded.

"...The team?" Jasmine slowly answered. Marty groaned and began to climb down the ladder.

* * *

**Marty: **"She's trying to work with Shawn again," he noted. "I won't have it. Since I'm a huge target for being a great player, I need all the safety I can get before the merge, and that means winning as much as possible."

* * *

"Whatever," Marty said with a growl. "Let's just move." They began to walk out and go toward the woods. When they hit the woods, Marty led her in a different direction. "No berries. I want meat for breakfast."

* * *

Luna was seen lying down peacefully in the bunker, when suddenly her eyes shot open. She sat up, and looked around. No one had seen her wake up with a shock.

Shawn had arrived back with a set of berries, and Ethan was cooking something else that they had gathered. Kayla and Kara were on a makeshift sofa, talking about something, and Iris was pacing around aimlessly.

Luna watched as Lavender began to walk outside the shelter. "I almost feel bad for her," a voice said behind Luna. The psychic turned around to see Scarlett, lying in a chair. "Knowing what I'm going to do to get her out..."

"Really?" Luna said, with a scoff. "Lavender is your target? You are picking the most emotionally unstable of the group? That's an easy out."

Scarlett narrowed her eyes at Luna. "Do you have someone you'd like to try?"

Luna shrugged calmly. "I do, and I have a plan to do it. It's someone you wouldn't understand. But I don't plan on telling you." She got up. "Now excuse me, I have work to do." She got up and left the bunker.

Over at the bunker's kitchen, Shawn and Ethan had just finished making eggs. "Are robot chicken eggs really as good as you say?" Ethan asked. "I have to believe they lack nutrition."

"You'd think that," Shawn told him, "but these eggs are really good. Jasmine and I used to make them all the time when we hit the merge..." He let out a sigh. Ethan looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Sorry," Shawn said. "It's just not easy with the competition and all..."

Ethan chuckled. "Don't worry about it. I've been there too."

* * *

**Ethan: **"Sure, I've been there," he said. "Last season, Madison was on a team that lacked winning ability of any kind. I feared she'd go home every round." He then laughed. "Shawn's gonna have problems if he doesn't let this go though. You know...I could probably easily..." He stopped and gasped. "Oh no."

* * *

The Meerkats were eating breakfast in a solid silence. Jasmine and Marty had found them a source of meat, which was good protein. Eventually, Flora decided to break the silence. "So...what do we do now...regarding leadership?"

Angie stood up. "I think it would be in everyone's best interest to consider me to be the team leader. I have high placements and consistent abilities to-" Her speech was suddenly interrupted by Paul.

Paul chuckled and then began to laugh at her. "Okay, I'm not going to run for student council like this one over here," he said. "The only way we can get a good leader is to do so through trials. I suggest a challenge."

Angie raised her eyebrow. "Go on."

Paul stood up as he explained the challenge. "Simple. We alternate leading until the team wins. Then, whoever leads on the day we win, stays leader."

"You going first I suppose?" Angie said with a scoff. "When you lose today, I bet you'll throw next time!"

As they argued, a groan came from the back of the tree fort. Max was seen complaining and lying in his bed. "I don't care which of you thinks they are the leader, just be quiet! Evil needs sleep!"

Paul put his hands in a defensive position, completely ignoring the super villain. "Look, I'm not trying to go home. You have my word that I won't throw."

Angie thought about her ability to lead versus Paul's, and eventually came to a conclusion. "Fine, it's a deal." She shook Paul's hand.

"Excellent," Paul said with a laugh.

* * *

Norm began walking on the beach. After a few steps, he knelt down to the ground and investigated the sand below him. It was all metal, colored differently to resemble a beach. "You have to at least appreciate the effort," he mumbled to himself.

"Still here?" A voice asked. Norm looked up and saw Ethan, looking out into the water, sitting on a rock. "I thought you were campaigning against yourself."

Norm sighed. "If you saw Sugar, you probably would have voted her off too. I almost did." Ethan chuckled briefly, then suddenly became quiet again. Norm took note of this. "You're quiet. What happened?"

Ethan turned away from the water. "I did it this morning. I considered it." Norm adjusted his position to actually pay attention. "Having Madison has always been a point of safety for me. I guess that's no longer an option for me."

Norm shrugged. "You're on a team with Luna and Scarlett. You have no reason to feel evil. Just...don't go back to what you were. If you do...make it in a good way."

Ethan turned again to face the water. "I could probably do that."

Norm nodded. "Great, I'm going to get back so I can figure out how to mess up the challenge in a convincing way." He walked off as Ethan continued to stare into the open water.

"It's time. Time for justice." The anti-villain walked off, a smirk on this face.

* * *

As both teams were working on cleaning up after their morning meals, they were startled by a voice on the loudspeaker. "Attention, my tiny pawns," Chris announced to the entire island. "Your time is now mine. Go to the meeting area and get ready to bring the heat!"

"Fire themed challenge," Iris complained, looking up from her meal. "You have to be kidding me." She grabbed one of Quaoar's swords, slung it on her back, and walked out of the bunker.

* * *

The two teams sat on logs to either side of Chris. On the left sat the Eagles, the Meerkats on the right. Chander was pushing up the monitor to the middle. He seemed in a lot of pain as he pushed on, and when he finally arrived at the point he was told to, he collapsed. "Are you sure we needed this?" Chander asked the host.

"Yes," Chris told him sternly. "He requested it."

This caused a small commotion. "Who's he?" Paul asked.

At that moment, a helicopter arrived over top of them. The ladder dropped down, and a boy with incredibly thick glasses stepped down. He landed on the ground, adjusted his shirt, and stared at the competitors. "Greetings, old friends," he told them. "It's quite the joy to be here, and not there."

"Sheldon?" Kayla asked in shock. She turned to Chris. "What's he doing here?"

Chris laughed. "Isn't this fun? I've got cameo appearances from all you old friends, so they can see who's going to do well this season."

Sheldon held up papers. "My contract says I'll be leaving by the means of this helicopter. I assume that is still the case?" Chris nodded. "Excellent, then I think we shall begin."

Sheldon turned on the monitor. "Last night, three pieces of equipment were hidden on each side of the island. You guys will split up to get all three pieces. The first team back with all three pieces wins the challenge, but both teams must complete the challenge."

"What's the point in finishing if we know we didn't win?" Paul questioned. After receiving a glare from Angie, he added, "I'm asking for the other team."

"I was told to add that in," Sheldon clarified.

Iris studied the monitors with the locations on it. "So...what's the catch? Are we going to be carrying hats with fire? Is the final piece inside a forest fire? Are we making a piece in a life-sized oven?"

Chris chuckled. "I don't understand how you got crazier between this season and the last one. The rules are there." He pulled out the air horn, and pressed it, sending out a piercing ring. "Go!"

Paul turned to his team. "We move as a unit. Let's hit the furthest section first, and backtrack back to here."

Angie leaned against a tree and let out a groan. "That's a terrible idea, but I'll allow it."

"I think it's a fine idea," Norm said. "I wouldn't want to be the one who sides on a bad idea."

* * *

**Norm: **"Yes, I would."

* * *

"Then it's official," Paul said, throwing his hand out in front of him. "Let's get moving." The Meerkats began to run toward the furthest spot.

The Eagles were making a different strategy. "We split into groups of three," Ethan offered. "It covers more ground."

"That's fine," Lavender said, "but who decides who goes with who?" Ethan shrugged. Lavender sighed as she pointed to the middle location on the monitor. "I'll take Kara and Sky with me."

Scarlett stepped forward. "I think I could benefit from the closest one. Confinement didn't allow for much moving around."

"Fine by me," Luna offered. "I'll go with her."

Ethan shook his head. "You're coming with me to the furthest one. Shawn too. Scarlett, take Iris and Kayla with you."

The team shuffled into their groups of three, and studied the map one more time. "This only works if we move quickly. Let's do it!" The three groups set off.

Once both teams were gone, Sheldon walked over to Chander. "I was impressed by your creations. I want to see more of them."

Chander held out some basic blueprints. "Oh, they're already in effect."

* * *

The Meerkats skidded to a halt when they hit the first location. In front of them stood a giant red temple, with two geysers of fire shooting out on each end. Inside the temple, was a visible platforming challenge with a harsh lava punishment underneath. Jasmine let out a sigh. "I knew it was getting too easy."

"That vile Chander will pay for his creation!" Max called out. He began to run inside of the temple in anger, only to feel the power of the heat, and run right back out. "It's a bit toasty in there..."

Just at that moment, Ethan, Luna, and Shawn arrived at the fire temple. "You're kidding..." Ethan said slowly.

Shawn stepped forward and looked in the temple. "It's cool. I can handle this."

* * *

**Shawn: **"Like that lava is any more dangerous than a zombie reaching up to eat you." He chuckled for a second. "It isn't, right?"

* * *

Shawn began to run inside, while the Meerkats scrambled. "There's only enough room in there for two of us at the most," Jonathan said.

Paul and Norm stepped forward. "We got this," Paul said.

Angie then grabbed Norm and threw him aside. "I'll go get the piece. You stop Shawn." Paul opened his mouth to argue, but saw that Shawn was already across half the platforms. Paul ran in Shawn's direction, while Angie began to work on finding a quicker route.

Angie reached inside the temple and examined it closer. The platforms were symmetrical on either end. Shawn was heading down the left end, while Paul followed. Angie began to bolt down the right side. On the left, Paul reached for Shawn's legs. Shawn, without looking backward, jumped in the air, causing Paul to slip and fall on the same platform. Shawn landed on Paul and jumped to the final platform, which held two golden knobs.

Paul looked up as Shawn grabbed it. Meanwhile, Angie reached her penultimate platform. "Really? You missed?" she asked. Paul simply rolled his eyes. As Angie began to prep for a jump, she stopped once Shawn grabbed the knob. The area around them began to shoot fire from the walls.

Outside the temple, everyone else watched. They were shocked to see the fire getting so close to them. "Luna," Ethan asked, "stop the fire."

Luna shrugged. "Here's the thing though: there's two of them, and one of ours. I like those odds." Ethan shot her a very angry glare, and Luna got the message. "Ugh, fine..." She stepped toward the entrance of the temple, and as her eyes lit up. The fire began to move slower, and it eventually stopped. She redirected the fire back into where it came from, causing the temple to rumble. "You guys want to get out of there," she noted.

Paul turned to Angie. "Go. I'll grab the piece." Angie decided not to argue, and ran out of the temple at the same speed as Shawn, who was right behind her on the right platform. Paul quickly got up and jumped to the center, where he swiped the golden knob and began to run out as well. He started picking up the pace as the temple crumbled faster. Just as he made it out, a giant rock fell behind him, blocking the entrance.

Paul stepped down from the area with a huff, breathing heavily, and hands on his knees. "All that for a yellow door handle..." he mumbled. Flora ran over to him to make sure she was okay.

Angie looked back at the fire temple, which was now collapsed. "Not cool, McLean!"

"I just hope the others are doing better," Shawn noted.

Marty grumbled. "Could have thought better to split the team up as well..." he said to Paul. "Let's get moving!" They all ran after Marty, who lead the pack.

* * *

Scarlett, Iris, and Kayla stood in front of another temple, that looked very similar on the outside to the one that had just collapsed. Scarlett stepped up to get a closer look at it. "The schematics are quite unstable," she noted. "Once you take that wheel from in there, there are fire pistons around that area that will shoot up. I'll look for an alternate way out, but we shouldn't go in there until we have that settled."

Iris pushed her out of the way and began navigating. "Okay, psychopath. I'll handle this one." She began to walk across a long bridge in the center. There were no platforms on the side of this temple, but the platform in the center looked the same, this time holding two golden wheels. As she reached the end of the bridge, Iris jumped over the lava floor. Once she hit the center, she swiped up the wheel.

At that point, as Scarlett had said, fire geysers shot up through the floor, stopping her from going back the way she came. "Nice going," Kayla called out.

"Do you have anything useful?" Iris called back, unable to see her teammates.

Kayla stepped up to the top and looked around. "Uh...did you look up?" Sure enough, Iris checked the ceiling, where a similar bridge existed. As she examined her own area, there was a climbable rope that helped her to get up there.

Iris scoffed. "Lucky guess."

Just then, they were greeted by the Meerkats, or rather, half of them. Flora, Paul Max, and Norm were there. "Curses! They're in already!" Max complained.

"It appears we have bigger issues," Flora mentioned. She gestured inside the temple, which now had geysers blocking the center.

Paul looked at them. "Norm, I really need this leader position. Could I get you to try for this one challenge?"

Norm carefully considered it, and then nodded, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, sure, fine." Paul pointed up to Iris and ordered him to stop her. Norm began ascending a ladder attached to the back side of the entrance.

Iris carefully watched as Norm moved up. "He's gonna get it!" she shouted at him, charging right for it. Norm continued slowly going up the ladder. Once he reached the top, Iris dove off the upper bridge. She pulled out the sword as she flew through the air, and eventually stabbed it into the ladder. Once she made contact with the wall, she began sliding down.

Norm turned back and looked at Paul. "Okay. So not my fault."

* * *

**Paul: **He sighed. "He couldn't think to help for one challenge? Are you serious? I need him gone."

**Norm: **"I maneuvered my way to the final four last season, extended a duel with someone with about double my physical abilities, and most notably, stood up to Luna's blackmail. Do you think I could have stopped her? I totally could have." He chuckled. "But let's hope they know that too."

* * *

Iris ran out of the temple, holding the golden wheel. "Awesome work," Kayla said to her with praise. Iris scoffed and began to keep moving.

Paul jumped onto the ladder and quickly grabbed the wheel. Without any Eagles at their location anymore, he made it through rather quickly. "Let us hope that our other group is fairing better," Flora noted.

* * *

"Why is it always me?" Jonathan asked in despair as he eyed up the final temple. None of the Eagles had even gone in yet. It was about triple the size of the other two, and had multiple challenges inside. Kara was right at the edge, inspecting the inside. From what she could see, there was a platforming area at the start, followed by a puzzle in the middle. After that, it dropped. Not even the object they were looking for was visible.

Angie began searching the very front. "We have to be able to find a workaround. Some sort of way to cheat it out." She looked, up and to her surprise, there were spikes on the ceiling, preventing anyone from scaling above the challenges. Looking down, Lava still filled the bottom.

Sky stepped forward. "I can get us a scope closer in." She stepped up to the giant temple carefully, trying not to burn herself.

The others watched anxiously as she continued to maneuver. "Be careful!" Jonathan called out, promptly receiving a blow to the head from Marty.

"Am I the only one still on this team?" he yelled out. "Between you and Jasmine, I don't know why I even bother..."

* * *

**Marty: **"Jasmine constantly worries about Shawn. Okay, fine. They're dating. But, he's on the other team, and they should have known that was a possibility." He groaned and thew the back of his head against the back wall. "But now, this guy, who has absolutely no redeeming qualities, tries to be a good guy to Sky? I've about had it."

* * *

Sky jumped in the air, landing on a platform. She had now made her way to the fourth one. There were about eight more in her path. "I can see the thing after the puzzle." She pointed down into the hole. "It looks like swinging on ropes and such."

"Can you handle it?" Lavender asked the athlete. Sky shouted back in confirmation. "Awesome. We're counting on you!"

Sky began to continue on the platforms while the Meerkats decided to send someone in. Marty shoved Jonathan in front of the temple. "Time to prove your worth," the con artist said with anger.

Jonathan began moving down the opposite side, matching Sky's pace on the platforms. But, since Sky got in there first, she reached the puzzle. It required rotating pieces of the wall to create a solid line, which would open up the bridge. Sky began turning the pieces as Jonathan arrived at the puzzle. Jonathan struggled on this portion.

On the outside, everyone watched anxiously. Marty groaned. "Why aren't they doing anything?" he complained.

Angie shook her head. "You have to know your team," she told him. "I knew Jonathan would have struggled on that puzzle. But, he'll probably outdo Sky on the ropes."

"How do you figure?" Jasmine asked, butting into the conversation.

Angie smirked. "It's all about motivation. We had a similar challenge our first season, and he was so excited for a chance to work on someone, he did it actually really well."

* * *

**Angie: **"I'm not praising him," the aggravated girl defended. "He has terrible reasoning and motivations, but when those things are there, he performs well. It's my job as the leader to know that." Then, she huffed. "But it looks like thanks to that call of mine, the win's going to us."

* * *

Sky finished the puzzle, dropping a bridge in front of her. She ran across it, and dropped through the opening. The final part of this temple involved ropes. She observed the challenge ahead. One needed to jump from rope to rope, and hopefully not drop on the ground, which was still lava. Sky looked up, and saw that the ropes appeared to be on a tread of some kind.

Jonathan dropped down before Sky began. "Let's keep this fair, shall we?" he called across.

Sky nodded. "You got it." She gave him a warm smile as she began to move across. This caught Jonathan off guard.

* * *

**Jonathan: **"You saw that, right?" he asked. "She smiled at me. I know I need to not be focusing on this, but it came to my realization neither Madison or Kayla ever smiled at me...maybe I may not be at the place I want to be, but I'm not where I deserve to be."

**Sky: **She has her hands on her head. "That might have been a mistake. I forgot I shouldn't smile at him. It wasn't my fault! He wanted it to be fair!"

* * *

Jonathan watched Sky grab the first two ropes, then jumped on the first one. As Angie had predicted, Jonathan was extremely agile on the ropes, and swung across quickly. At the halfway point, the two of them were even. Jonathan continued to power through, and landed at the end before Sky made it. Running over to the table, he swiped the object he needed to- a golden lighter.

Jonathan shoved it in his pocket, as this one was an easy carry. He then began looking for a way out, but his search was cut short by a hard rumble around him.

* * *

Outside the temple, the contestants present felt the rumble as well. "You can't be serious," Lavender protested. Sure enough, the temple began to shake more and more violently, and before they had any sight of either of their teammates, the temple door collapsed. They couldn't see inside at all anymore.

Kara ran up to the collapsed entrance, and began to search for another way in. She placed her hand on the temple, only for it to shake more violently. As she lifted her hand off, the shaking continued, but at a lesser rate. "We have to find a way in to help them!" she told everyone.

"I will help neither of them," Marty said, walking away. "That's two less people for me to beat."

Jasmine ran up to the temple and tried to punch the stone clogging up the entrance. While she did manage to dent it, the temple shook even more violently. Lavender ran up to both of them. "Guys! Stop!" she cried out. "If we touch it, it's going to get worse." She sighed. "Best thing we can do is wait and hope."

* * *

Inside the temple, Jonathan began to more frantically search for a way out. Then, he heard a shriek. Sky, who was still on the ropes, noticed the tread began to shuffle, pulling her further from the goal. Jonathan ran over to her side. "You need to hurry!" he called out. "I know you can do it! You made a finale! You bested Scarlett at her prime!"

Sky nervously looked down, then tightened her grip on the rope. She began swinging more rapidly, and eventually continued to swing. It took a while, since the ropes had begun moving, but she eventually made it to the final rope. She took one last swing and jumped, landing right on Jonathan. She laughed nervously while on top of him. "Hehe...uh, sorry about that."

Jonathan got up and brushed himself off. "No need to be sorry, we need to get out of here!" Sky ran over and grabbed the golden lighter. At that moment, a doorway opened up behind the table, which let an entrance out toward the back. They both turned to each other and nodded, running into the path.

Once they made it back to sunlight, they were both lying on the ground, exhausted. "Remind me to never come back here," Jonathan argued.

"Likewise," the athlete agreed. Their short conversation was ended when the entire temple they were just in dropped down. Both turned around in shock as the temple crashed to the ground. "On that note," Sky added, "uh...thanks for the help, back there." She gave him another smile, this one intentional.

Jonathan was about to respond when Angie walked over to him. "Oh, great, you're okay. Get up, we need to win!" She pulled him back up and ran back to the starting point.

Sky, likewise, got up and met up with Lavender and Kara, then proceeded to head back to the start.

* * *

Ethan made his way back to the starting point, alone. His team was mostly there, save for the ones who were at the giant temple. "Where'd you go?" Iris asked him angrily.

Ethan shrugged. "Leader business. I needed to help someone out with something. Point is, I'm back." Iris looked at him questionably, but shrugged it off.

The groups from the giant temple were returning. It was a dead race to the end. One by one, each of them began to make their way across the finish. Chris stood and watched them huff and puff for a moment. Then, he walked forward.

Angie looked up at the host, with the most angry look yet in her eyes. "You went too far today!" she yelled at him.

Chris shrugged. "I have no idea to what you are referring to."

* * *

"That was intense motion sensor you used," Sheldon said to Chander in a secret location.

Chander nodded. "I picked up the trick doing a fire act back home. I wish someone actually would have fallen into the lava. I do make some delicious tomato soup."

Sheldon looked at the pile of rubble through cameras. "You can consider me impressed. I would have fallen for the illusion that my life was in danger as well."

Chander laughed. "Best part is, Chris has no idea I'm keeping these people extremely safe. It's all part of show business."

* * *

"I agree," Luna said. "Your traps were quite dangerous for the mere mortal."

Sheldon approached all of them. "I don't have any pieces in my hand yet." Both teams quickly ran up with the pieces. Running out of time, Sky threw the lighter from her position on the ground, and tried to land it in Sheldon's hands. It got there, but not before all three of the Meerkat pieces landed in his hand.

Sheldon observed his hands, holding the six objects, then handed them over to Chris. "It's clear who has taken victory today," he told the host. "The..." he fiddled around in his pocket and took out a sheet of paper. He mumbled over a few things, surveyed the crowd, and then looked up again. "The Extreme Eagles."

The Eagles cheered in excitement, while Paul went up to Sheldon. "You think this is funny, Pencil?" he asked him.

Sheldon, unfazed, looked around. "You appear to be missing your team nuisance." Paul scanned the area and looked at his team. Someone was missing. He ran out to the woods to search, and found Norm, right outside the woods, tied to a tree by his ankle, hanging upside down.

Norm groaned as Paul went up to him. "Wow, took you long enough." His face showed the epitome of uninterested and bored. Paul, on the other hand, fumed.

Back at the place with all the teams, Kara walked up to Sheldon. "Is there a chance that telling me what these are all for is not breaching your contract?"

Sheldon considered it briefly, then nodded. "As a matter of fact, no, I am actually permitted to tell you all."

"C'mon, Pencil, lay it on us," Kayla demanded.

"But, I could not do that. It would ruin what has been made." Sheldon turned to Chris. "I request the helicopter." Chris nodded and snapped his fingers. At that point, a ladder dropped down for the nerd, who grabbed on and began to climb as the ladder lifted up into the aircraft. With that, he left the island.

Paul then walked back with Norm. "Look who I found."

"You have to be kidding me!" Marty cried out. "Why is my team so useless?"

The rest of the Meerkats began to yell at Norm, except for Flora, who turned and walked away. Meanwhile, Norm looked back at the Eagles. He nodded at Ethan, who winked back at him.

* * *

**Ethan: **"Norm allowed me to assist in ridding him of the show while I still felt this dis-balance in myself. Hopefully, I feel better to do this game properly now..."

* * *

Max was sitting near the bottom of the tree fort, pouting about his recent loss. "You seem to be what they call, 'down in the dumps'," someone called out to him. The super villain turned to see Luna, leaning against the same tree. "I've been there. My team always hated me. They still do." She looked at him. "You know, we're not so different. You really need to show them that you're a strong player."

She pulled out a metal device shaped like a helmet. "You used to make tons of these," she told him. "What happened?"

"I was unfairly ruined of my time, that's what!" Max declared.

Luna wiped some grease off of the helmet. "You made this on one of your first days here. I can help you make that better." She held out a hand. "Can I interest you in a deal?"

Max considered it for a second, then smirked. "It would be a pleasure to make you my sidekick."

"I humbly accept," the psychic answered. She skipped off in a happy mood. After a minute or so, she ran into someone else.

Scarlett shook her head as she encountered Luna. "You're going to regret that," she warned her. "I don't know how you think that is a helpful strategy, but he will put you through the ground."

Luna smirked as she shoved Scarlett out of the way. "He is the one who tricked you last time you competed, correct?" With that, she teleported out of sight.

* * *

**Scarlett: **"I do not want Max as any member of any alliance I am in," she protested. "I was lucky enough to not be on his team." She then let out a huff. "Luna will be tougher to deal with than I had anticipated."

* * *

Above the ground, in the fort, Jonathan walked over to Flora and Paul. "Look, I know you're angry about today," he opened up.

Paul shrugged. "I'm not mad at you. You actually did...rather well from what I heard."

Jonathan shook his head. "Uh, thanks, but...that's not it. You see...you two are happy in your relationship, and I wanted to know...if you could help me with someone."

"Absolutely not!" Paul said. "Take your compliment and be okay with it. You are not to be trusted around a relationship."

Flora held up a hand to her boyfriend. "I think they would be fine together, and from what I was able to get a glimpse of, I think he handled himself very well today." She turned to Paul. "Everyone deserves a second chance, don't you think?"

Paul let out a huff. "Everyone deserves a second chance, unless they made some real stupid moves." Flora looked at Paul with her hands on her hips. Paul let out a sigh. "Fine. We can help."

Jonathan smiled at them. "Thank you. I won't fail you."

* * *

Back at the bunker, the Eagles were relaxing in their victory. Kayla was pacing around the bunker aimlessly, until Iris walked back in. "Perfect, you're here," she said, running up to her.

Iris stared at her suspiciously. "Whatever you want from me, the answer is no."

"Please let me speak," Kayla asked. Iris rolled her eyes and listened. Kayla went on. "Your strategy is completely reckless, dangerous, and is a good way to make enemies." She look Iris in the eyes. "I want to try it out."

Iris looked at her with a different expression. "You...what?"

"I've been so bored," the brat admitted. "I want to try something that I've seen work...to a point."

Iris's eyes widened. "I can show you a few things..." her expression shifted back to normal. "I guess."

"Yes!" Kayla cheered. "To make it up to you, I promise I won't vote with you." Iris slowly nodded as Kayla walked off.

* * *

**Kayla: **"Cool, now I have something to do this season. Nice."

**Iris: **"No one has ever asked me to help them out for anything...not...recently." She sighed. "Not since the..." She shook her head, and faced the camera with a blank expression. "I won't fail her."

* * *

**Elimination 2**

The campfire ceremony began again, the fire appearing a little bit bigger than the last elimination. In the front sat Paul, Flora, Jonathan, and Norm. In the back was Marty, Angie, Jasmine, and Max. Chris approached them, holding a plate of seven marshmallows. "You all know the drill," he told them. "No treat, no repeat. You're done."

Chris held up the first marshmallow. "Angie." Angie smirked and scowled at Paul as she took the treat.

"Paul." Paul got up and performed the same expressions, but in a mocking tone, right back at Angie.

"Max, and Jonathan." the two boys got up and collected their treats. "Flora." Flora skipped up to the front and got her marshmallow. She sat back down and smiled at Paul happily.

Jasmine, Marty, and Norm all watched carefully. "There's no way he did it," Angie said quietly. "I didn't let him."

Chris held up the next marshmallow. "Jasmine." Jasmine sighed in relief and grabbed her marshmallow.

Chris eyed up the bottom two with a single marshmallow left on the plate. "Norm, you cost your team the challenge, and tricked Paul to think that you did the best you could to stop the crazy girl with a sword." He snapped his fingers, causing Chander to run up. "That reminds me. Go figure out a way to take that from her. I don't like that with her." Chander nodded and walked off.

Chris then turned to Marty. "Marty, you're a negative morale setter, hate your team, who also hates you back, and not to mention that you are very untrustworthy."

Marty scoffed. "I'm also _useful_."

Chris nodded. "Yeah, okay, sure. Anyway, the loser tonight is...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...Norm!" Angie gaped in shock as Marty smirked, catching his treat.

"Finally...I did it." He turned and began to walk out. "Where's that cannon?"

* * *

Norm sat in the cannon, bored, when he heard some run up to him. "You are going to cost me!" he heard Angie complain.

Norm laughed. "I like to work in win-win situations. I could never have done this without you getting something to."

"What did I get, exactly?" Angie demanded.

Norm didn't flinch. "A chance to lead. You wanted that, right? I got you it, and in exchange, I got what I wanted."

Angie was about to retort, when she sighed. "Fine. Have it your way." She walked off.

"You're welcoooooooooooooome! Norm started, and then shouted, as Chris had hit the button below him and launched him off.

Angie watched as he flew off. She shook her head. "Fine. Thank you," she said off in the distance. She then left and returned to the tree fort.

Chris filled the screen as he stepped into frame. "We've lost another, but we're down to sixteen now. Who will crack under the pressure? Who will turn that pressure into diamonds? Find out next time on Total! Drama! Fiery Passion!"

(END OF CHAPTER)

* * *

**Votes- Middle Meerkats**

**Angie: **With everyone gunning for Norm on his own wishes, I need to stick with the next best chance, and that's you, Marty. Nothing personal.

**Flora: **Norm expressed his highest interest in leaving the show. I suppose I can help with that.

**Jasmine:** Marty, I'm gettin' real tired of your constant whining. It hurts our team a lot.

**Jonathan:** Norm, you have my wishes. I'll help you out.

**Marty:** The rest of them are voting for Norm. I want Jasmine gone. If I can't separate them in challenges, I'll separate them in the game!

**Max:** Norm wishes to be gone, and gone he will be!

**Norm: **I really think I did the best I could today. If I don't leave here, after having Ethan stage that thing for me, I don't know what I'll need to do.

**Paul:** Norm cost us the game today. I can't have that on my team.

**Total- Norm (5), Marty (2), Jasmine (1)**

**Eliminated- Norm**

* * *

**Current Teams:**

**Extreme Eagles: **Ethan, Iris, Kara, Kayla, Lavender, Luna, Scarlett, Shawn, Sky

**Middle Meerkats: **Angie, Flora, Jasmine, Jonathan, Marty, Max, Paul

Elimination Order:

19th (kind of)- Chander, The Spooky Prankster

18th- Sugar, The Pageant Queen

17th- Norm, The Antisocial Genius

* * *

**With that, Norm is gone, completing what he wished to do.**

**Norm falls into a different category for this season. He's in because I wanted him to do well in Submerged. Additionally, if he placed well here, that would not be balanced very well. I do pride myself in making the elimination of a character trying to throw be surprisingly early. Not everyone messes this up.**

**We have a fun twist coming up next time. What's going to happen? I can tell you, it helps some people out immensely.**

**This chapter is now the longest one I have written. I'm hoping all the chapters can be this long. I want this to be a good season.**

**Speaking of seasons, vote in the poll to see if I do more! I used a random generator to draft one out, and I am pretty content with my results. There are three crucial pairs and I managed to get two of them together!**

**How did you like the challenge? What did you think of Norm's sabotage arc? Leave a review telling me what you thought! Until then, see you next time!**


	4. Rise of the Botted Plants

**Replies!**

**Guest 1138- Like I said, I didn't really want to have Norm compete, so the little plot he did was about all I could let him do. Besides, he's a pretty smart dude. Finding out how to get voted off shouldn't be too hard. Interesting choices for the elimination. I think this one will be a shock as well.**

**Sephiria Arks- Dave will not be coming back. But as for your elimination guesses, you're onto something a little bit. Can't say what though.**

**jdawg6739- I can normally tell when someone trying to leave gets booted. I wanted to be earlier for a shock factor, and because Norm didn't have much to contribute this season.**

**Now, time for a fun callback!**

* * *

Episode 4: Rise of the Botted Plants

Chris stood on top of the Pahkitew Dock. The island looked slightly different in it's appearance today, specifically, having a higher tree line than normal. Chris then began the introduction for the episode. "Last time, on Total Drama Fiery Passion, we went on a scavenger hunt for the three pieces Chander needed to build lots and lots of fiery things." The first clips were Paul jumping out of the first temple at the last second and Norm fake attempting to stop Iris in her path. "Surprise, but Chander didn't need anything they collected. We said a special hello to Sheldon our season's first cameo, and sent him away in a safe fashion." The next clips were Sheldon arriving, looking at Chander's blueprints, and his departure. "Due to their compact strategy at the beginning, the Eagles barely won out, with some additional help from the old Ethan. Norm, who sabotaged himself and his team, was fed into the cannon, much to his liking." The final clips were Ethan reflecting on the beach, him walking out of the woods, Paul finding Norm trapped, and Norm being eliminated.

"Who will fall and hit the ground today? How many of the kids am I allowed to burn on TV? What will Chander create? Find out right now, on Total! Drama! Fiery Passion!"

* * *

**Opening Sequence**

[Various cameras began to appear in a similar way to the other seasons. The first one appeared out of a lily pad, which seemed to be mechanically connected to the water. Next, one came out of a tree, which spit out some fire as the camera popped out. The final one fell on top of the outhouse confessional, and exploded into a burning flame. The camera then began to fly as the opening played.]

_Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doing fine,_

[The camera arrived at a waterfall, where Shawn poked his head out, to see Jasmine waiting for him. He waved a signal as she went in.]

_You guys are on my mind,_

[Next to the waterfall, Marty stares at them with a scowl on his face. He picks up a stick, smirks at the waterfall, and snaps the stick.]

_You asked me what I wanted to be, and I think the answer is plain to see_

[The camera flies over the waterfall, where Sky is doing Olympic style jumps. She lands one perfectly, much to Jonathan's amazement. Iris runs by and smacks Jonathan over the head. Ethan laughs in the back as Jonathan fumes.]

_I wanna be famous!_

[The camera flies to a clearly mechanical mountain, where Paul and Angie are intensely competing. Angie barely beats him up the hill, which angers Paul.]

_I wanna live close to the sun_

[Lavender and Flora smile at each other as they run off. A hand reaches out to stop one of them.]

_Go pack your bags, 'cause I've already won_

[Lavender turns her head to see Scarlett. The quiet brainiac signals for Lavender to follow her instead.]

_Everything to prove, nothing in my way,_ _I'll get there one day_

[As Sugar tries her hardest trying to build something, she laughs at her own brilliance. Meanwhile, Norm fakes a fall, knocking it over. He gives the pageant queen a sheepish but fake smile.]

_I wanna be famous_

[Paul and Angie are seen in a hot race again, this time Paul has the lead. He skids to a halt and trips her, causing her to fall.]

_Na na nanana na, nanana na, nananananana_

[Kayla kicks the ground, evidently bored, while her sister, Kara, investigates a pipe spitting out fire on the others side. A ball of fire shoots by and ignites another pipe, which causes Kara to look back. Chander is seen blowing out ignition fuel.]

_I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous!_

[Various other high ranking, non-competing contestants appear in silhouettes, as fire shoots out from behind them. Some have items like swords or heavy weights in their hand. Others are just standing there in a menacing fashion.]

_I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous!_

[The scene zooms into the fire, which changes to a traditional campfire.]

_*Whistling*_

[Luna stares at Max with a bright green glow, while Max offers her a contraption he made. The psychic fixes it with her mind, which causes the others to glare at her as they whistle.]

* * *

As the sun was coming up, Sky and Lavender returned to the bunker with some berries. "You have such a good knowledge of nature," Sky complimented the nature's child.

Lavender shrugged. "Thanks. It's a bit harder to identify what won't kill you when you know all of that wildlife is artificial."

Sky grabbed some berries and put them into a wooden pot, and began to stir. "So...can I ask you something?"

Lavender reached down behind the counter they were at and turned on a flame. "Sure."

Sky sighed. "I know TV can make everything out of proportion. I know about what Jonathan did, back on Karon and all, and you competed with him. Was it really that bad?"

"To be honest," Lavender admitted, "he was out pretty quickly last time. I do know someone I could refer you to if you're really curious, though."

Sky shuffled for a second, then agreed. "I want to see them."

* * *

**Lavender: **"She'll regret that."

* * *

"Ethan!" Lavender called out.

Ethan walked over, and quickly took their wooden pot off the flame. "Are you people kidding me? That will burn down the bunker."

"Bunker's burn proof," Kara corrected from the side. "Also, that pot is made from these trees, which means it's metal." Ethan face-palmed himself and put the pot back on.

Lavender gestured to Sky. "One of our teammates was just a bit curious about your least favorite team member ever."

Sky adjusted the question to Ethan so it sounded kinder. "I just mean...all that stuff they showed..."

"Like did he actually poison me?" The anti-villain asked Sky. The athlete nodded in confirmation. "Yes, he did. He also did try and make out with Madison against her will in the middle of a challenge, did actually blackmail me, and after all that, he did actually try and do the same thing with Kayla the next season."

"Can confirm," Kayla called out. "It sucked."

Hearing her voice, Iris inconspicuously got up and tapped Kayla on the shoulder. "Don't...don't talk to them."

"Why not?" she whispered.

Iris leaned closer and whispered. "Every time you speak, they get information they can, and will, use against you. On down time like this, unless you're forming strategies...back off." Kayla nodded, Iris walked off back to a corner.

* * *

**Iris: **"Yes, I'm actually teaching Kayla my strategy," she told the outhouse. "Why? I feel...obligated. I don't want to go into it."

* * *

Sky sighed. "So everything he was saying yesterday was..." She sighed again, but deeper this time.

Ethan shrugged. "Maybe he's finally seeing the light. But to error on the side of caution...I wouldn't pursue. Spider venom down your throat is a terrible way to spend the day." He walked off. "We have a challenge to win. I hope you guys are ready."

* * *

**Sky: **"If Jonathan really did all that...is he just trying to trick me?"

**Ethan: **"Sky wanted the truth, and unfortunately, that came in a harsh way. Jonathan did harsh things. Honestly, it isn't my fault."

* * *

Luna scoffed on the side as she watched Sky and Lavender talking. "I can't believe you still think she's a tough target," she complained to Scarlett. "She's so unstable. Anything could crack her."

Scarlett shrugged. "Then let's make this interesting. Are you interested in a bet?" Luna turned her head in interest. "I'll let you pick someone on this team, and if you can get them eliminated before Lavender, I'll make vote myself off. But, if I get Lavender gone first, you vote yourself off."

Luna considered it. Her entire game now dropped to this point, whether or not she took this bet. "Fine," she said. "I'll pick...Iris."

Scarlett chuckled. "You have no idea how easy that will be to beat."

"Oh, I thought that too," Luna told the brainiac. "Then, I remembered that I have power on my side." Her eyes lit up to green. "I hope you had fun here." Luna proceeded to get up and walk out after that, much more confident in her abilities to win the game after that conversation.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Meerkats were bickering again, following their second consecutive loss. "I hope you're ready," Angie told her jock rival. "I'm going to lead this team properly this time."

Paul scoffed. "You'll probably get some easy challenge. Even then, I'm confident you'll blunder it up."

"Oh, really?" Angie countered. "Big talk for a guy who left a teammate behind!"

* * *

**Angie: **"Yeah, I view the voting confessionals," Angie said. "Yeah, I know what really happened," she added. She turned her head in disgust. "Kid was smart, but he's out of the picture. I've got this one."

* * *

Paul began to walk away in a huff. "We'll see how the challenge goes. With your abysmal leadership, I have no need to screw around."

"Are you two serious?" Marty called out, laying against a wall. "I don't care who thinks they're 'in charge'," he added with air quotes, "but I don't plan on listening to either of you. You aren't in charge of me, and that's final."

The rest of the team struggled to focus in the morning, as the arguments the two constantly fired up sounded across the entire fort. The rest of them found other things to do to pass time effectively. Jasmine worked on trying to find Shawn, which was a struggle, since Marty was constantly on her tail. Flora often took walks, Jonathan left frequently, and Max was typically nowhere to be seen.

The mornings were different as everyone was normally there, so they could eat for the day. However, Max still was missing in action for the morning meal. Jonathan watched the argument unfold, and walked over to Flora, with wide eyes. "I know you weren't on my team..." he offered, "but was I like that last time when Ethan tried to lead?"

Flora hesitated. "I don't know if it was to ever that extent," the pacifist said sheepishly, "but it was definitely an...occurrence." She tried to help out by shrugging, in effort to weaken the blow.

Jonathan groaned. "Wow..." He put his head against the wall. "Well, thanks for the help. You understand I want to do this correctly."

Flora nodded. "Of course. That's why I agreed to help."

The brutal lover continued. "And you know I really mean business. I want to improve."

"Of course," Flora said again. "I agreed to help for that reason."

Jonathan nodded. "Well, thanks again. I'm going to leave before this gets out of hand again."

* * *

**Flora: **"I drastically respect Jonathan for identifying his flaws and trying to fix them. I wish I was able to do that."

* * *

"Attention everyone!" Chris sounded out over the island. As he began to speak the scene cut to the bunker, where Kayla was throwing on a bag of some sorts. "Get moving over to the meeting spot, and get ready to take to the skies!"

"To the skies?" Lavender repeated, looking over at the athlete. "This could mean-"

"Not a word!" Kayla shouted, interrupting her. "I am not letting you sabotage us before the challenge starts!" Iris looked over and gave a thumbs-up.

* * *

The two teams quickly made their way over to the meeting area, where they inspected their new surroundings for the day. The area was clear of any debris from the last challenge, and the area was also much more wooded. In front of them stood a brand new forest, which went further than any of them could see. Chris stood in front of them, and behind him, Chander was pushing a monitor into position. "I thought you had interns for this!" the co-host complained.

"I do," Chris confirmed. "But, they don't get paid, you do."

"Hold on," Paul asked with a hint of anger. "You don't pay the interns?"

Chris held his hands defensively. "They get college experience! What more could you ask for!"

"A paycheck," Paul said back with spite.

Chris ignored him and gestured to the giant forest behind the sixteen campers left in the game. "You probably are looking at these trees with concern. I would be." He chuckled to himself. "Some of you may recognize this challenge, because one of you designed it." Everyone looked at Shawn, who was beyond excited to do this challenge again. "This time, it's a bit more difficult. As a team challenge, you will have to get as many people from your team across these trees as you can."

The monitor showed some interns attempting the challenge. One of them slipped and dropped down. "If you fall, you will let your team down. We, on the other hand, will not. Legal has forced us to put a net at the bottom, and if you land in the net, you cannot get out until the challenge is over. The net won't let you." On the monitor, an intern struggled with getting out of the net, and eventually gave up with a sigh of hopelessness.

"The team with the most members at the finish first is the winner. You have one minute to think about a plan with your team before I send you off," Chris said.

Immediately, Shawn turned to his team. "I know I haven't done much, but I think it's safe to say I should take charge on this one." Everyone nodded in agreement. "The best thing we can do is move as a unit. If we take the same path, we can ensure it's safe. I'll take the front, and Ethan can run it up in the back."

The Meerkats waited as Angie gave out instructions. "We won't have an opportunity to pass them, so what we need to do is split up and take these people down before they can reach where we are." A few team members nodded in agreement. "The best option we have is to stop them in their tracks."

"Fine," Paul grumbled.

The teams took positions. The Eagles lined up single file, and aimed at a location, while the Meerkats formed a giant line behind the start, waiting for the signal to go. Chris held up the air horn, and blew it. "Go! Go! Go!"

* * *

Shawn began to climb, and situated himself on a branch about halfway up the tree. "Let's move from here," he instructs the team. They begin to navigate over the branches, and make sure they keep a solid distance from the ground. As they moved, they were startled by one of the trees rumbling.

A branch broke off in front of them, revealing a giant cannon looking arm. The arm leaned back before pushing at them with full force. Then, fire began to shoot out of the end of it. The Eagles all scattered to different areas up in the tree, and the fire arm burned off that specific branch. "Great, we've lost each other," Lavender griped. "Should we try and reconvene?"

Kayla began to ascend higher. "You people suit yourselves. I'm winning this challenge on my own." They all watched as she scampered away from the team. Most were confused, while Iris gave a nod of approval.

* * *

**Kayla: **"I don't know why I didn't do this earlier," she thought to herself. "I mean, the freedom you get from not worrying about anyone else is too much to take back."

* * *

As the Meerkats struggled to try and stop the Eagles, who were slightly ahead, some began to work especially hard. Jonathan, Paul, and Angie led the pack for their team, trying to find an entrance somewhere in the crowded branches. As the others kept moving, Angie looked back. "How are you all doing?" she asked her team with concern. "I can't really see all of you."

Flora jumped over to a new branch, as fire began to melt the one she was just on. "It's a bit...hotter than I would have hoped." She looked around. No one appeared down for the count yet. "But, we're doing fine."

As the teams kept moving, Max stopped at a door shaped opening in a tree. "This looks like an adequate spot for my lair," he said, attempting to peel open the door. Once he opened it up, it was not what he expected at all. It was a small hole, just the size of the trunk.

Then, the hole spoke. "Gotcha!" it shouted. Max was taken aback, so much that he stumbled and dropped to the net below him. As promised the net captured him, and held him over the ground by a wire.

Everyone who was in eyesight looked over at where Max just was, and who stepped out from the hole. Notably first was the green beanie, followed by his shaggy hair and camouflage vest. He looked out over at the trees. "I'll tell ya," he said. "Mountains are cool, but these trees are really somethin' too."

"Randall?" Ethan asked, carefully maneuvering around a geyser of fire erupting from a nearby tree.

Randall nodded. "Yep. I'm today's visitor! And it looks like someone found me." He looked down. "You good, tiny bro?"

Max looked up at the mountain man in anger. "Curse you! Sidekick, unhand him!"

Luna, who was within earshot, nodded. "You got it, sir!" After shaking off a few odd looks, Luna's eyes began to glow. She ripped off a branch from above her, and threw it right at Randall. Randall, who had no means to balance, toppled down and found himself caught in a net right next to Max.

"I suppose I earned this," Randall admitted. Max smirked in pride, while Luna observed the two of them below her.

* * *

**Luna: **"I had a lot of options," she explained. "I thought that one was the most threatening. Not just to Randall, but to the others. They need to understand that this win will be mine, and I don't care who suffers from it."

* * *

The top of the tree had a very different picture. Kayla and Iris met each other at the top. "Did you follow me?" Iris called out to her.

Kayla had not actually seen Iris until she just spoke. The brat turned around and waved. "Stay outta my way," she said with a slight bit of rudeness, but not enough to convince Iris. She proceeded to jump down as far as possible, clinging onto a branch at the last minute. It was a super risky play, but she was now in first place.

Iris smirked. "If you copy my strategies, I'll copy yours." She pulled out the sword from her backpack. "Anything I teach you, I can do better." She jumped out further, and with more force, propelling herself even further than Kayla. Swiping the sword, she stuck herself in a higher location, still above everyone else, and way ahead of them too.

This unfortunately led to Chris swooping down on a jet pack. He pulled out a giant magnet, and stuck it near the paranoid girl. While Iris herself didn't move, the sword in the tree began to claw out, ripping off the branch it was attached to. The branch landed in the hands of Iris, while the sword landed with Chris. "Cool, this is mine now!" the host bragged.

"That's mine!" Iris shouted back. She took the branch that was now in her hands and threw it at Chris. Chris dodged it and flew out of the way of the now angry girl. Meanwhile, the branch fell behind them, back where people were competing.

* * *

Kara, Sky, and Lavender were all in the same area. As they conversed, Kara looked at them in a bit of distress. "Is Kayla acting...different?" the curious girl asked the other two.

Sky shrugged. "She doesn't seem too different. I wouldn't worry about her. She'll do fine."

"I hope so," Kara said.

Just then, a shout came from ahead. "You guys doing okay?" Shawn asked them.

Lavender shouted back to get her voice across the dense trees. "Yeah, we're still all here." Suddenly, a branch came from above them, hitting Kara. The girl was not knocked unconscious, but she was knocked off the trees, and into the net below. "Uh, I'd like to change my answer," Lavender spoke up again.

* * *

Shawn kept looking around with concern, but not about the zombies. He wanted to prove he could be a good leader. He kept looking for members of his own team, but failed to find any. Eventually, he did find someone on the other team. Shawn moved horizontally a few branches to meet up with her. "Hey, Jasmine," he said.

Jasmine smiled at him. They had hardly gotten to talk since they got on the island. "Hiya," she said back. "Sucks that we aren't on the same team." She began to continue climbing to a spot with enough room for both of them.

"I hear you," Shawn said in agreement. "My team's okay, but we have not been winning to the amount I would have liked. It's always super close."

"At least your team's winning," Jasmine replied. "I wish those two Karon kiddos would let me take charge. I know I could help them win."

Shawn got up. "You should try talking to them about it." He began to get up, when the branch he grabbed onto revealed itself to be a fire geyser. "Woah!" he called out, before slipping and dropping.

Jasmine screamed out for Shawn, and grabbed his arm at the last second. "Gotcha!" she told him, pulling him up. Shawn smiled at her and flew off, trying to keep at a decent pace. Jasmine continued to do the same.

Meanwhile, unknown to them, someone watched the entire encounter. "Well, I guess we're going to do things my way," Marty said with a growl, diving down into the net below.

* * *

**Marty: **"Look, I really need to win challenges," he admitted. "I get that. I'm a target. Problem is, I also need to eliminate my team of things that help the other team. Jasmine is one of those, and thanks to that, I have insurance."

* * *

Marty dove down, eventually hitting the net. "Really?" he asked the people on the bottom. "Why is nearly half our team down here?"

Randall looked over to him. "You guys missed the one girl, she disappeared to somewhere."

Marty inspected the nets. One of the nets had clearly caught someone, but there was no person inside of it. The bottom of the net appeared to be ripped. "Someone's getting an advantage I can't allow," he said with anger.

* * *

Sky maneuvered though the trees perfectly. As she landed, she saw Chris on a solid wooden platform. "Congratulations," he told the athlete. "You've made it to the halfway point. You can choose to keep moving, or wait for your team here."

"Am I first from my team?" Sky asked. Chris nodded. "Well, the plan was to move together, so I'll stay." She sat down and waited for the rest of her team. Shawn made it soon after her, with Ethan and Luna arriving shortly after.

Shawn gathered them up. "Scarlett and Kara are nowhere to be seen, I think one of them fell."

"Correct," someone said, startling them. Lavender had just landed. "Kayla and Iris are not worth waiting for. Let's get going." They began to all get on the same next branch, to coincide with their previous strategy.

As they began to shift to the next one, they heard a crack. Shawn quickly turned around and saw that half of the tree branch had broken. The next thing he noticed is that only half of his group was left. Ethan and Sky were now twenty feet below them, trapped in a net. "Oh no..." Shawn muttered. He grabbed on to a branch above him, and it also cracked.

Chris chuckled as he watched Shawn struggle. "Did I forget to mention that about half of the branches on the second half don't actually have any structure to them?"

"Yeah," Lavender said. "You did."

"Huh," the host mused. "Well, half of the branches on the second half don't have any structure to them."

Luna ripped off another branch, and looking at it, she threw it forward, knocking down about three more branches. She watched as it bounced off of a few, denoting that they were real. "Wait a minute," the psychic thought. "I have a better plan." She began to let out a low groan, which startled many of the people around her. Eventually, she let out a shout, which emit a green burst through the trees. As the burst settled, everyone noticed that only half the branches had green residue on it still.

After seeing the burst, the Eagles were greeted by some other faces. "You can't possibly tell me that's allowed!" Paul complained as he arrived. "Didn't you just take crazy girl's sword?"

Chris thought about it. "If you have a way for me to make her not use those abilities, be my guest." Paul let out a huff and kept moving, and Angie closely followed him. Paul began to capitalize on Luna's power, picking only the branches with green on them.

Angie followed Paul, but slipped on one of the branches. As she fell, she tried grabbing onto another one for support, but it was a fake one. With that, she descended to the net with the others below.

* * *

**Paul: **"Chris has a lot of nerve letting Luna cheat like that," he complained. "If I was host, she'd be gone because of that."

**Luna: **"Are these people kidding me?" She flipped her hair back. "If they had powers, they're free to use them too!" She then let out a dark laugh. "Oh, who am I kidding? I know they don't have any."

* * *

In a distant location, a room was darkly lit, with a few computer monitors on. Then, a sound of something moving across the floor was heard. Someone turned around in the chair, revealing that Chander was in front of the screens. He got up to go investigate the source of the commotion. After all, no one was supposed to be down there with him.

When he got closer to it, he heard footsteps. Confused, he decided to light up the room. He waved his hand in a particular fashion, and on that cue, a bunch of torches lit up on the wall. As he looked across, he saw Kara, holding onto the net she was caught in and the wire it was attached to. Kara jumped back when she saw the room light up.

Chander shook his head. "Look, I'll make this fast. You're not supposed to be down here. Please, leave."

"What is this place?" Kara asked him. "Is this where you run the challenges?"

Chander flicked his fingers, and a bunch of lights began to glow around him. "I'm a person of showmanship. This room is equipped with the flashiest and coolest display of fiery defense you've seen. I'll ask you one more time, please leave."

Kara nodded as she began to exit through the was she came. She picked up a rock on her way out, and pushed a hatch above her. Dropping the net at the entrance, she climbed out, revealing that she had entered through a tree stump. "I'll be back," she muttered to herself as she dropped the rock next to the stump.

* * *

The Meerkats were looking rough in terms of numbers. Only Flora, Jasmine, Jonathan, and Paul remained on their team. Flora had eventually found Paul in the trees. "Hey," she said playfully.

Paul gave her a smile. "Hey." He sighed. "We really need to start winning. I don't know what to do though."

"We could start by boosting out team's morale," the pacifist suggested. "Norm was one of the most enthusiastic players we had. Sadly his enthusiasm was a bit...misplaced."

Paul nodded. "You ever consider leading?"

"Oh, no," Flora said. "I'm no good. There are people who are better than me at this." She gestured to the pessimist. "Like you."

Paul grabbed onto a branch with green on it. "These green ones are the ones to grab. Luna's been messing around." As he reached up, he put all his weight on the branch, snapping it. As he fell, he cried out. "Or not!"

Flora looked up and met eyes with Luna, who darkly glared at her. "What? Like I'm going to let your team use my strategies?" What startled the psychic the most was that Flora had not broken eye contact with her yet. She held the gaze at the psychic for as long as possible. "Do you plan on doing anything, or am I going to have to end this myself?" Flora held the gaze.

* * *

**Flora: **"I would never want to fight Luna," she admitted. "Not only because I dislike the idea of combat, but I don't think I'd be able to take her down. I'm not much of a fighter." She shrugged. "But there are other ways to keep your opponent exactly where you want them."

* * *

Shawn, Lavender, and Luna held close together as the moved through the trees, but two of their teammates were nowhere to be seen. The camera zoomed all the way to the finish, where Kayla and Iris were incredibly close. "Give up!" the paranoid girl called out to Kayla. "I'm going to beat you!"

Kayla turned around for a second. "Then let me use that as motivation to make you go faster. I'm getting there first." She began to move a bit more carefully after checking three branches in a row, with all of them breaking. She lowered her foot on one below her, which held. She jumped out to grab onto it. She looked up and saw the the finish was in sight for her. As she began to lower herself, she looked up, and saw that she was outmatched above her.

"Bingo!" Iris called from above. Iris took a dive from the higher position. As she descended, she swung from a few branches, breaking them on her way down. She landed a bit more harshly than she would have liked, but she landed on the proper side of the finish line, where Chris now was.

The host gestured to her. "Congratulations on getting her first Iris!" Chris said. Kayla soon jumped down in defeat, and walked over to the two of them. "As a reward, you get absolutely nothing! You can wait as your team struggles to make it here." He laughed. "You'll never guess who Luna is being stalled by."

* * *

"I'll take you down," the psychic said. "The move is yours." Flora continued to sit there, unfazed, holding her stare at Luna. "Come on, move!"

* * *

Soon, another person landing was heard. The three of them watched Jonathan land, followed by Angie. "Beaten!" Jonathan complained. "You have to be kidding me!"

Angie sighed. "I hope we can make up for this in numbers. I lost track of the others."

* * *

**Marty: **"It's my turn to make a move. I get what I want today."

* * *

Marty walked along the ground, after getting out of his net. He picked up a rock from the ground and launched it in the air. It broke a few branches, then dropped back down. "Perfect," he said darkly.

He looked up and saw his target. Jasmine was moving carefully navigating, seeing that the tree branches were less stable on the second half. She looked down at the last second to see Marty hurling a rock at her. Startled, Jasmine jumped out of the way, but the rock hit the branch above her, dropping the branch on her head. Jasmine slipped and fell to the ground from the impact. "What was that about?" she asked.

"Just ensuring our loss," the con artist said with confidence. "And ensuring my win."

* * *

The finish line still had the same amount of people at it. Chris was still checking out the feed from in the trees. "It looks like we're still tied up here," Chris said, "but with Jasmine now down for...reasons...it looks like the Meerkats need to hope Flora can take down the other three of them and make it out safely.

They all then turned around at the sound of a scream. A geyser of fire shot out at the last second, startling Lavender, and sending her to the ground steps away from the finish. "You're kidding..." she said, being able to see the finish line. "That fire was so last minute. I hadn't seen any in a while."

Chris nodded. "You're right...we haven't seen any." He turned around from everyone else and pinged Chander. "What's with the lack of fire?" he asked quietly.

"Apologies," the spooky prankster told him, still fiddling in the control room. "We had an...uninvited guest enter the area." He reassured him. "They shouldn't be coming back. I made a real nice show to stop her."

"Fine," Chris said. "Just...don't let it happen again." He watched as Shawn dropped down. "That's going to settle it," Chris said as he approached the others. "It looks like the Eagles have won yet another time! Meerkats, that means you'll be sending someone home!" Angie and Jonathan groaned, since they were the only ones there.

"Wait a minute," Angie asked. "Where are Flora and Luna?"

"What kind of whacked and twisted strategy is that?" they heard Luna complain as she dropped down over the finish line, with Flora shortly following her. "How on earth did you expect that to work?"

Flora shrugged. "The challenge was rendered over before we got here. So, it did work, I guess."

Iris let out a laugh. "You got stalled by her?" she didn't stop laughing. "That's incredibly sad. You cheat in the game and still manage to fail. I can't wait to see you drop like the loser you are!"

"Where's this hostility coming from?" Luna asked. "You barely deserve to be here."

Kayla stepped in and intervened. "You should just shove off," she told the psychic. "We won you the challenge. Be happy with it." Luna growled and stepped away.

* * *

The Meerkats were arguing in the tree fort. "I just think it's a bad idea to keep up all this arguing," Flora said. "We really need to figure out a way to work together."

"Well, if I could suggest something," Marty said. "We should start by not sabotaging the team."

Paul looked over to him. "You brought that up like there is someone who's doing that."

"And I am," Marty continued. "I caught Jasmine saving Shawn during the challenge, which means that it would have been tied. And, without Shawn's leadership, they would have dwindled faster." He leaned against the wall with a smirk. "But, what do I know?"

Jasmine stood up in protest. "He purposely took me down," she said. "He needs to go!"

Marty sighed. "Really? You try and pin a blame on me in this desperate attempt to save yourself? Why on earth would I bring up sabotage if I also did it? That'd put a huge target on my back."

"Like there isn't one already," Max called out.

* * *

**Marty: **"Max has a lot of nerve trying to call me out like that." He gave a confused look to the outhouse. "How is he still here?"

* * *

"Better question," Angie said. "Where's Jonathan? Or Paul? Or Flora?" She let out a groan of frustration. "They're making an alliance right now, aren't they?"

"Looks like I'll be fine for a while," Marty said with a laugh to himself. Jasmine continued to glare at him.

* * *

"Look," Paul said. "You asked for my help, and you're going to get it. You were a terrible person the past two seasons."

Jonathan nodded. "I know. How do I fix that?"

Flora shuffled a bit before answering. "Your actions to outlast the others were...questionable. I would suggest hindering someone as opposed to trying to fully defeat them. Take Norm for example. He beat Marty by stalling him out. Same way Luna was stopped during the challenge."

Jonathan nodded again to prove he was in fact paying attention. "So...how do I go about Sky?"

"Sky will come naturally," Paul said. "To be honest, she looks very manipulable. If we fix you, then that happens on its own." He then added on, "but be careful. She's on a hostile team. They won't like that you're teaming with her. At least, that's how they'll see it."

"Gotcha," Jonathan finally said. He then asked a very interesting question. "If they're so hostile, why are we still the ones eliminating someone?"

* * *

**Elimination 3**

The seven remaining Meerkats sat at the fire circle, feeling the intense hostility in the air. Paul, Flora, Jonathan, and Angie sat in the back, while Max, Jasmine, and Marty sat in the front. "You people are such an interesting team. I wonder what we can do about that..." He then looked back to the Eagles, who were present, and standing in a bunch. "I'll get to that. There's a reason you're here."

Chris held up the six marshmallows that would go to the surviving players. "Six of you get to stay and face off against the mighty nine members of the Extreme Eagles. One of you gets to get shot off in a canon with Randall, who asked to leave like that for...who knows." He picked up the first two marshmallows. "Flora and Paul, you two are safe." The pacifist and the pessimist grabbed their tokens of safety, and sat back down. Chris then tossed the next two out. "Max and Jonathan, also safe."

Angie began to look nervous, as Jasmine and Marty continued to glare at each other. Chris picked up the next marshmallow, and tossed it out. "Angie." The girl smiled as she took the treat, showing that she would see another day on the show.

Chris chuckled as looked at the bottom two. "Jasmine and Marty, one of you leaves today. Jasmine, you were accused of sabotaging your team, and your team believed it. Marty, you were accused of sabotaging your team, and I'm not actually sure if your team believed it."

"We didn't," Paul said.

"We did," Angie said. The two shot each other weird looks.

Chris laughed again. "Oh, that's great. But, the team voted, and tonight's loser is...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...Jasmine!" Jasmine gasped in shock as Marty smirked, catching the marshmallow with one hand.

"What?" Shawn asked, running up. "How could you guys?"

"Sorry," Angie said. "I need a team that follows my rules."

Jasmine nodded. "It's fine. I earned this. I should have been concerned about winning." The Eagles watched as she began to walk to the cannon. One of them was not so pleased.

* * *

**Ethan: **"If Marty thinks he can get away with that, he has another thing coming." He sighed. "I could totally have taken him out in one episode if I was on his team...this will be tough."

* * *

Jasmine looked down to Shawn as she was set up to go. "Do your best!" she told him. Shawn nodded. Chris then hit the button and sent her off.

Chris then turned to the fifteen campers left. "Look, I wasn't thrilled with these teams. Placements happen, but I need some new material for the ratings."

"You're really breaking the team structure for ratings?" Iris asked him. The host nodded. "Fine. I can take it."

Chris looked around. "Let's make this one interesting," he said. "I need the following two people to swap teams...Ethan and Max." This was followed by a few gasps.

* * *

**Ethan: **"Really? It was that easy? Wow..."

**Scarlett: **She put her head down in agony. "Oh no..."

**Luna: **She gave a dark look to the camera. "Oh yeah..."

* * *

As the new teams left, Chris looked very happy. "Now that's how you mess with them. How will the new teams work? Will everything happen that they say will? Is Randall nuts? Find out...some of those next time on Total! Drama! Fiery Passion!"

(END OF CHAPTER)

* * *

**Votes- Middle Meerkats**

**Angie: **Jasmine threw, and to repay the favor, I'll throw her into a cannon.

**Flora: **Paul and I are voting for Marty. Something doesn't add up.

**Jasmine:** Marty, this ends here.

**Jonathan:** This is a toss up. But, I'll go with the evidence I'm certain of, so...Jasmine.

**Marty:** I can't believe they bought that. Goodbye, Jasmine.

**Max:** Jasmine will pay for making us lose!

**Paul:** Marty, I don't believe you. I know you sabotaged too.

**Total- Jasmine (4), Marty (3)**

**Eliminated- Jasmine**

* * *

**Current Teams:**

**Extreme Eagles: **Iris, Kara, Kayla, Lavender, Luna, Max, Scarlett, Shawn, Sky

**Middle Meerkats: **Angie, Ethan, Flora, Jonathan, Marty, Paul

Elimination Order:

19th (kind of)- Chander, The Spooky Prankster

18th- Sugar, The Pageant Queen

17th- Norm, The Antisocial Genius

16th- Jasmine, The Outback Amazon

* * *

**Marty strikes and Jasmine pays the price for it.**

**This is a more controversial elimination, but I really had nothing to do with Jasmine this season. But, since everyone else is still needed for now, we send her home. **

**Team swap- I understand it doesn't keep the names entirely true, but this stirs up a good amount of plot, so I need it.**

**I hope you liked the challenge. It was a bit confusing, but I think I got it across well.**

**Hey, if you're reading, I'd love a review. Just to hear how things are looking from the reader perspective. Your feedback means a lot.**

**Other than that, I don't have a lot else to say. Check out the poll, leave a review, and if you really want to , favorite and follow. With that, I guess I'll see you next time!**


	5. Pop Go the Losers

**Time to reply!**

**Candela Monsoon- Welcome back! Like I said before, characters this season are here because I wanted them, or because they went far somewhere else. Norm and Jasmine fall into that second category. The merge will be a very good picture of the main characters in this story. As for Chander, I'm not sure if I'd call it a first boot, since he's technically still on the island. I'm not sure what to do with that yet.**

**Guest 1138- To be honest, having the Meerakts consecutively lose didn't cross my mind until after I made the elimination order. That's kinda what you get when the teams are predetermined. Eh. At least it gave Paul and Angie a good plot.**

**Sephiria Arks- Paul seems to be a popular choice...not entirely sure why. As a clarification, Kayla is the one in the "alliance" with Iris. They aren't voting together, so I'm not sure if I'd call it that.**

**jdawg6739- Paul and Kayla kinda ran the team in Karon, so it leans a bit more to Angie this time, especially since Paul has other plot with Flora and Jonathan this time. Balance.**

**Space Zodiac- Yeah, most people didn't like me eliminating Jasmine. I just couldn't find a spot for her to do well...so...oh well. But, with so many recognizable faces, people get eliminated early.**

**Fifteen to go. Let's do this.**

* * *

Episode 5: Pop Go the Losers

Chris stood on the dock of Pahkitew Island. The island's shape didn't appear to have changed too much. Most of the trees were gone again. "Last time," Chris opened up, "on Total Drama Fiery Passion, we took a trip through the forest! Shawn took on the role as captain, which lasted for about thirty seconds." The first clips were of Kayla and Iris racing each other, and The Eagles instantly getting separated. "Jasmine saved Shawn from falling, which Marty took as an excuse to throw the challenge. Speaking of throw, Luna was stopped by Flora through sheer intimidation." The next clips were Flora staring down Luna, who was creeped out, and Marty lobbing a rock at Jasmine to stop her from reaching the end. "Meanwhile, Jonathan works on wrecking a third girl's time, while Sky, the amateur, works on wrecking her second." The final clips were Jonathan consulting help from Paul and Flora, while Sky hears out Ethan on his thoughts.

The scene cut back to Chris, while Chander was in the background tampering with something. "Who's going to go down today? Who's going to throw down?" He then picked up a rock and flicked it at Chander's head. "And who's going to go and up the security on their control area?"

"Me," Chander said, disappointment in his voice.

Chris turned back to the camera. "Find out all this today on Total! Drama! Fiery Passion!"

* * *

**Opening Sequence**

[Various cameras began to appear in a similar way to the other seasons. The first one appeared out of a lily pad, which seemed to be mechanically connected to the water. Next, one came out of a tree, which spit out some fire as the camera popped out. The final one fell on top of the outhouse confessional, and exploded into a burning flame. The camera then began to fly as the opening played.]

_Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doing fine,_

[The camera arrived at a waterfall, where Shawn poked his head out, to see Jasmine waiting for him. He waved a signal as she went in.]

_You guys are on my mind,_

[Next to the waterfall, Marty stares at them with a scowl on his face. He picks up a stick, smirks at the waterfall, and snaps the stick.]

_You asked me what I wanted to be, and I think the answer is plain to see_

[The camera flies over the waterfall, where Sky is doing Olympic style jumps. She lands one perfectly, much to Jonathan's amazement. Iris runs by and smacks Jonathan over the head. Ethan laughs in the back as Jonathan fumes.]

_I wanna be famous!_

[The camera flies to a clearly mechanical mountain, where Paul and Angie are intensely competing. Angie barely beats him up the hill, which angers Paul.]

_I wanna live close to the sun_

[Lavender and Flora smile at each other as they run off. A hand reaches out to stop one of them.]

_Go pack your bags, 'cause I've already won_

[Lavender turns her head to see Scarlett. The quiet brainiac signals for Lavender to follow her instead.]

_Everything to prove, nothing in my way,_ _I'll get there one day_

[As Sugar tries her hardest trying to build something, she laughs at her own brilliance. Meanwhile, Norm fakes a fall, knocking it over. He gives the pageant queen a sheepish but fake smile.]

_I wanna be famous_

[Paul and Angie are seen in a hot race again, this time Paul has the lead. He skids to a halt and trips her, causing her to fall.]

_Na na nanana na, nanana na, nananananana_

[Kayla kicks the ground, evidently bored, while her sister, Kara, investigates a pipe spitting out fire on the others side. A ball of fire shoots by and ignites another pipe, which causes Kara to look back. Chander is seen blowing out ignition fuel.]

_I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous!_

[Various other high ranking, non-competing contestants appear in silhouettes, as fire shoots out from behind them. Some have items like swords or heavy weights in their hand. Others are just standing there in a menacing fashion.]

_I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous!_

[The scene zooms into the fire, which changes to a traditional campfire.]

_*Whistling*_

[Luna stares at Max with a bright green glow, while Max offers her a contraption he made. The psychic fixes it with her mind, which causes the others to glare at her as they whistle.]

* * *

The sun rose over the bunker. Everyone was still asleep in there, as it was still relatively early. Just when things were at peace, Luna was woken up. "Sidekick!" someone called out to him. Luna groggily woke to see Max standing above her. She took a few seconds to process again that he had swapped over to them the night before. Annoyed, Luna simply nodded her head, and Max walked off.

Beside her, she was laughed at. Scarlett poked her head over and snickered. "Still think your plan is a good one?" she asked condescendingly.

"Oh, please," the psychic scoffed. "You're jealous, be it about me having him wrapped around me, or simply having him in general, I don't know yet." She got up with a smirk and left to go find the super villain.

* * *

**Scarlett: **"Luna is seriously making a mistake when it comes to that...gremlin," she pointed out. "That will simply make it easier for me to crush her!"

**Luna: **"Max will be the death of me," she noted. "He's annoying, and it will take all my willpower to not dropkick him into the cannon myself." She let out a long sigh. "But, as long as he votes with me, he is useful."

* * *

Life in the bunker was still busy, as nine people remained on the team still. Kara, Sky, and Lavender worked on preparing the meals. Max and Luna schemed on their own time. But the noise level still was quieter than normal. In one corner, Iris sat, more frustrated and angry than normal. In another corner, Shawn sat, looking on the sad side, and in the third corner, Kayla was still laying down, making sure to not come into contact with anyone. Eventually, Sky went over to the zombie nut. "How are you doing?" Sky asked him.

"Not so great," Shawn said. "Not only is Jasmine gone, it's my fault. And, to add onto all of that, I was going to propose an alliance with Ethan, but he's on the other team.

Sky fumed. "I bet Marty was up to it," she told him. To reassure him, she added. "Ethan always set his sights on eliminating Jonathan." At the sound of his name, she hesitated a bit, and showed a little color, but carried on. "Well, this time he told me he has a different target."

"Who's that?" Shawn asked for clarification.

Sky smiled. "I think you'd like it."

* * *

"Which one of you did this?" a very angry Marty asked. He held up a note to everyone else at the fort. "It says, 'watch out.' Which one of you is going to dare to try?"

Ethan, who was leaning over and talking to Paul, looked up. "Oh, that? It was me."

Marty went right over to him and got in his face. "Do you expect me to believe you could take me down?"

"I don't," Ethan replied calmly. "But know that you leave today. There is no avoiding it."

Paul now got up and stepped into the argument. "Implying he leaves today means we lose the challenge." He looked over at Ethan. "Do you intend on throwing?"

"Yes," Ethan said. "I know you're against it, but we need him gone. He sabotaged your team. Do you really want to risk that again?"

"I'm in," a slightly bitter Angie commented. "Guy needs to go."

Paul let out a loud groan. "Why are all of you against me?" he cried out. He stormed off to the other room where he could think for a second.

* * *

**Paul:** "People on my team want to throw? Absolutely not. I won't allow it. But, if they won't listen, then I need to work extra hard this challenge."

**Ethan: **"Without having Madison or Norm around, I seriously see that I am starting to...reconvert," he admitted. "But, I am going to get rid of Marty. No challenge can stop me in that matter."

* * *

As the Meerkats continued to bicker, they were interrupted by a piercing screech on the loudspeakers. "Attention, weaklings!" Chris's voice shouted to everyone's despair. "Meet at the beach in twenty minutes. We're going to make you 'pop' today!"

"Eating challenge?" Flora suggested.

"No chance," Angie said bitterly. "He's got something else planned. But whatever it is, it doesn't matter." She smirked at looked at Paul and Marty. "Because we won't be winning."

* * *

Everyone reached the beach within the time, and they all groaned when they saw the terrifying setup in front of them. There were many balloons pinned down to the ground, holding something in them that was not visible yet. Also in front of them was a large assortment of weapons, mainly bows, crossbows, boomerangs, and ninja stars. A few other higher level artillery was present. "What are we looking at?" Iris demanded.

Chris and Chander walked up to them. "Glad you asked," the host said. "But I'm not actually going to be the one demonstrating this challenge. So, today, say hello to your cameo: Ezekiel!"

Everyone watched as the formerly feral boy stepped in front of them. He was holding a bow in one hand and had a quiver on his back. "I thought you said only Karon Island contestants would be cameos," Kayla asked.

"He competed with you," Chander justified. "He was on some of your teams. I don't remember...you guys sent me home early."

Ezekiel aimed his bow at the lowest balloon. "Yo, yo, dogs, this challenge is wicked easy!" he told them. A few people rolled their eyes, but most of them were more interested in what the balloons had to offer. He continued to explain. "All you people gotta do is shoot down more balloons than the other team!" He released an arrow, piercing a balloon right across the top. The balloon popped, dropping out...more balloons, but these were able to be held in a hand.

A few of the contestants gasped at seeing the smaller balloons. "Oh no," Sky said anxiously.

"That's right!" Chris said, stepping in. "Once you shoot down the balloons, you need to take those smaller ones and knock out the rest of the opposing team. Last team standing wins!"

"Wait a minute," Paul said angrily. "They have, like, three more players than us! That's not even!"

Chris looked at the two teams for a second, almost as if he cared. "Huh...so there are. Guess you should have won more earlier in this season." Paul growled as Ethan and Angie smiled and nodded.

"Pick your weapons, yo!" Ezekiel called out to them. The teams made a mad dash to grab any weapons they could. Iris grabbed the throwing stars, since they were the most similar to the sword she recently lost. Kayla went for a crossbow, while Luna went for a normal bow. Lavender grabbed a boomerang, as did Shawn. Max tripped and got nothing, as the rest of the Eagles grabbed bows.

The Meerkats arrived a bit later, and had a lot of the heavy artillery left. Ethan grabbed what appeared to be a meatball bazooka, while Angie got a leech gun. Paul and Marty settled for throwing stars, and Jonathan and Flora got crossbows.

They all lined up and began to take down the balloons. Zeke got ready to let them begin. "Ready, yo! Setty, yo! Go! Uh...yo."

At the 'go', everyone began to start firing away, except for two people who were uninterested. "Really?" Marty screamed at Ethan and Angie, who were just sitting there. "You could at least _try_ to pretend that you want to win!"

Angie rolled her eyes. "Ugh, fine. Whatever gets you to shut up." She blindly aimed her leech gun into the air, and pulled the trigger without looking. As the leech flew, it bounced off of a few balloons before latching onto a big one. "You're kidding," she groaned. The leech sat there for a bit before popping the balloon, which began to drop tons of smaller ones. Jonathan ran over and held out his arms, careful not to pop any while they were in his hand.

The Eagles were having a better time with the balloons. They were gathering quite the amount when Scarlett intercepted one of Luna's balloons. Luna fumed at the brainiac before beginning to attack the same targets. "Go for something else, please!" Scarlett insisted.

Luna, who was pettily angered, continued to fire arrows at everything Scarlett aimed at. Eventually, she put her bow down and started directing the arrows with her eyes instead. No one else managed to notice, but Scarlett sighed at Luna's usage. "Give up!" Luna commanded.

"We're on the same team!" Scarlett let out with a hint of a growl. This caught the attention of Kara, who looked over at her closely. "...Sorry about that," Scarlett admitted.

As the shooting came to a close, Shawn knocked off the last balloon, dropping some more to him. "Time's up, yo's!" Ezekiel called out.

Chris walked up to them. "Meerkats, you seemed to have struggled." Everyone directed their attention at the dwindling team, which was holding approximately ten balloons. "Hopefully you can manage those well." At those words, Ethan dropped one on the ground, and kicked it against a tree. Once it collided with it, the balloon exploded into some sort of purple goop, which immediately covered the tree. "Huh," Chris mused. "Okay then. You all will have a five minute grace period before we start walloping each other." He held up the air horn. "Go hide!" At that, he rang the horn.

* * *

Everyone scampered off, most notably Iris, who hit new speeds evading everyone. Kayla watched her run off and followed suit. Kara sighed as she watched the two disappear, with Kayla holding significantly less balloons.

* * *

**Kara: **"I'm worried about Kayla," she admitted. "How am I supposed to look after her if she refuses to even communicate with anyone else?" She sighed. "Someone needs to snap her back to reality before she gets voted off, or worse."

* * *

As she looked around again, she caught sight of Angie, who was aimlessly walking around. Just to be safe, she hid behind a tree. As she looked at where she was, she saw the rock she dropped in front of the stump last challenge, still sitting where she had left it. "I really shouldn't go off again," she said to herself, observing the rock in it's position.

The curious girl then got up and lifted open the stump, and checked inside. It was dark, and there was a high likelihood that Chander was out operating other things at the moment. "Well, I tried to warn myself," she said with little caution, as she lowered herself down to the dark hole again.

Angie poked at one of her balloons. It was relatively solid, and it was pretty cold. "Geez, is there ice in here?" she asked herself.

"You tell me!" a voice sounded from behind her. The hothead turned around to see her former teammate, Max, holding a device that looked very similar to what he had last time they did this challenge. "Time to evil!" He launched a sharp object at Angie's balloon. Without much time to react, she managed to step out of the way as best she could.

Once Angie had dodged the dart coming toward her, the dart suddenly glowed in a green light. The dart then changed direction, and flew at Angie's balloon, popping it on her. To her surprise, it was quite literally a block of ice sitting in her hand now.

"That's no fun," Chris said over the loudspeakers. "Someone was supposed to have that ice thrown at them. Regardless, it is still nine to five, advantage Eagles!"

* * *

**Angie: **She held the block of ice in her hand and tossed it up and down. "Chris is losing his edge. This isn't even a funny way to mess with someone, it just gives them a concussion. There's no fun in that."

As she spoke, a voice came from outside the confessional. "It was going to be funny and painful, but you took away both parts," Chris said. Angie put her hands on her head and groaned.

* * *

Max turned to Luna after Angie stormed off. "Excellent work, sidekick!" he told her. "My contraption was just perfect! Evil knows no bounds!"

Luna gave him a warm smile. "I did the best I could. I hope you're satisfied."

"But of course!" Max taunted. "I will rule this island and be the very best!" He spiked down a balloon in victory, which caused it to explode. Not even Luna had time time to react. The balloon exploded, and tons of tiny thorns dropped all over them. "Right after I brush off," he added.

Max got and left instantly. As Luna got up and turned around, she saw Scarlett, smirking at her. "Did I neglect to tell you that he's remarkably stupid? Because he's remarkably stupid."

"Nothing I can't handle," Luna hissed, flicking a thorn at Scarlett. The brainiac sidestepped to avoid it.

"With a bad case of friendly fire," Chris told everyone, "Max and Luna are out! It is now seven to five, Eagles!"

* * *

As everyone carefully moved through the forest, Ethan poked his head out from the bushes. As he kept moving, he kept a close eye on what was around him. Suddenly, a balloon came flying at him from the back. Ethan got a chance to quickly glance at it, and ducked, sending the balloon into a tree, which exploded into a ball of fire.

The attacker jumped down from the tree they were in. "Yikes," Sky said. "That would have hurt if it hit you. Maybe singed your hair off."

Ethan aimed a balloon at Sky, who dodged it, which revealed that his balloon also had fire in it. "Likewise." He pulled another one out. "Look, if you want to win, it would be in your best interest to keep me in the game."

"Why should I believe you?" Sky asked curiously,holding a balloon at the ready.

Ethan moved back a few steps. "Because, I need to make sure Marty loses today. There's only one way that can happen, since I haven't found that idol yet..."

The athlete looked at him suspiciously for a few seconds, before also backing away. "Fine, but if you lied to me, you'll regret it." She jumped away, continuing on her path.

Ethan let out a sigh. "Too close." A few seconds later, he encountered Jonathan. Ethan readied a balloon, before dropping it. "Oh. You're on my team _again_."

"Get over it," the brutal lover said. "What were you saying to Sky?"

Ethan shrugged. "Nothing huge, just playing my cards so I can eliminate my target." He then realized that Jonathan would need to be out to make his plan successful. "Wanna help?"

Jonathan didn't buy it. He gave Ethan a very suspicious look. "I don't want you to talk to her."

This intrigued Ethan. He's definitely heard this one before. "Why is that? Isn't that a bit...clingy?"

Jonathan readied a balloon. "I thought you were done scheming." He aimed at Ethan, and readied a defensive stance at the same time. "Weren't Norm and Madison helping with that?"

"Not all help is asked for. But it helps," the anti-villain admitted. "However, neither of them are here." He then aimed his balloon at Jonathan. "Now, if you don't want your face full of...whatever this is, I'd suggest you leave now." Jonathan refused to move. Ethan let out a sigh. "Well, tried to warn you." He sniffed the balloon. "Yikes, this smells like dead fish."

Jonathan took that opportunity to throw at Ethan. "Gotcha!" Ethan watched as the balloon flew toward him, and then exploded in the air. They both looked over at a tree and saw a dart, covered in egg juice, which was in the balloon. Following the source of the balloon, the two saw Paul in a bush, watching them.

"We're already down," Paul told them. "Don't make this difficult. Ethan, get out of here." Ethan shrugged as he left.

* * *

**Ethan: **"Ah, I miss fighting with Jonathan," he admitted. "He was such as easy nut to crack. Luna, Marty, and Scarlett aren't this fun, that's for sure."

* * *

Paul looked at Jonathan honestly. "He was right, you know," he told him, while keeping his guard up and looking around. "You can't be that clingy. It isn't healthy. At all." Jonathan nodded as he listened. "Just focus on the challenge, and if it comes down to the two of you, she wouldn't appreciate you throwing." Paul gave him a light glare. "And neither would I." He then walked off.

Once he was out of sight, Jonathan kept moving, until a balloon hit him in the foot, exploding into a giant puff of pink smoke. Jonathan sneezed a few times, before collapsing to the ground. "Good night," Shawn said, holding three more balloons.

"Shawn earns the Eagles another point!" Chris announced. "Jonathan is out. It's seven to four, Eagles!"

* * *

**Jonathan: **He was still covered in some of the pink powder. "Sleeping powder? Really? I didn't even see Shawn..."

**Shawn: **He's dressed in green paint. "Watching Iris in the past taught me a lot about being prepared. I haven't been seen once this game!"

* * *

Paul ran back to a pile of leaves in the forest, where he dove underneath them. "Stopped Ethan and Jonathan from fighting," Paul told the pacifist. "Didn't seem to help though."

"Cool," Flora said calmly, before laying down what appeared to be nothing in front of him. "This might help."

"What is it?" Paul asked, poking at some clear sheet in front of him.

Flora held it up. "It's a reflector. I can now help in this challenge without having to hurt people." She tossed a ball at it, which sent it off into a different direction.

Paul was still confused. "So...how do I help?"

Flora grabbed the reflector and held it up. "I can draw the fire, you cover from the back."

Paul smirked as he held up four balloons. "Let's make this count."

* * *

Flora walked out of the leaf pile and sat in the middle of an opening. As she waited, she caught a glimpse of Iris on one side of her, and Kayla on the other. At the same time, both girls saw Flora in the field. Flora did not react or even move. Making the first move, Kayla jumped out. "I'll hit her first," she declared. She lunged a balloon at Flora, who held up the reflector. The balloon landed in it, and stretched it out. As the balloon flew out of it, it didn't actually go for Kayla.

The balloon flied off into the distance, causing a rustle in the trees. Everyone watched as the rustle became a thud, and a groan was followed shortly after it. "Looks like Shawn was hit out of nowhere!" Chris announced. "It's now six to four, Eagles!"

Iris still didn't step out. "Don't be reckless," she advised the brat. "You can't go into things headstrong like that."

Kayla sighed as she got closer to Flora. "Whatever, she's still unarmed. We can hit her." She got closer, behind Flora where it would be harder for her to adjust the reflector.

Flora then nodded her head quickly as Kayla prepped the balloon. Ready to fire, she suddenly stopped when she was hit from the back. "That's what I'm talking about," Iris said, holding her head up. "You can't-" her sentence stopped when a balloon flew at her. She ducked down and dodged it. "You can't go in without caution. Caution is the whole idea." She watched another balloon fly past her. "Speaking of caution, I'm out."

"It's now five to four, Eagles!" Chris announced. "Is this the start of a comeback?"

Paul walked out once there was no one else. He looked at Kayla, slightly impressed. "You convinced Iris into an alliance?"

"It's not an alliance, and get lost!" the brat shouted back, clearly upset. She then stormed off.

Flora glanced at her boyfriend. "She seems upset, like she can't figure out what she wants to do." Paul stared at her, amazed.

* * *

**Paul: **"She's smart, incredibly skilled, and reads all these people like books!" he cried out. "Why did she vote herself off...twice?"

* * *

Tensions were rising as nine players were left in the game. But for one player, tensions were higher. Kara dropped down again, revealing the dark room. She took a pair of rocks, and lit a single torch to illuminate her path. She got to the control panel and started examining it. She saw many fire-related labels and levers, which concerned her. "What is this guy going for?" she muttered.

She continued to look around, and saw preparations on the other side of the room. She saw fourteen virtual reality chairs, each having orange fluid pumping into them. "Looks like I had an edge," she muttered again. "I should tell my team."

At that moment, all the lights in the control room turned on. Kara was still right in front of the chairs as Chander walked in. She jumped back, dropping her torch on the ground, causing it to go out. Chander noticed her. "You're here again?" he asked. "How many times am I going to have to kick you out?" He let out a grunt of frustration, and walked over to the panel. "Do I need to let the fire spirits go after you again?"

Kara laughed. "Fire spirits? I just wanted to see what was down here. You know me."

"I don't," Chander replied dryly. "Look, as much as I'd love to show you around, there is very host-secret things in this vault. So...leave. And don't tell your team."

Kara was still by the virtual reality chairs. "When are we using these? That looks like we'll use them soon." Once she turned around, she saw the fire spirits in front of her. They then chased her out of the control panel again.

Once Kara left the panel, she held the rock that she used to mark the stump. She considered putting it down again. "No, I don't need to," she said to herself. "I know where it is now."

Once she began to walk away, an announcement came over the speakers. "Kara, so glad you could join us," Chris said to her. "Too bad you're out. You went into disqualified territory."

"That was never specified!" Kara complained back to the speaker.

Chris laughed through the voice in the sky. "Well, I made a decision. You know me," he said mockingly. "It's now tied up at four. The Meerkats are making a comeback!"

* * *

Iris observed carefully as Paul and Flora walked around effortlessly. It angered her that she was unable to do anything about them. With the sword, it would have been easy. Surely Luna gets disqualified soon for being a cheater. She could only hope.

The paranoid girl poked her head out from a bush, and got into a position behind them. She had to pick a good balloon to make things work. She dropped the four she had in front of her. Her blue one was warm, likely another fireball. Her red one felt like something sharp was in it, probably wouldn't help. Her black balloon smelled very bad, but that wouldn't faze either of them. Finally, she poked at her last balloon. Another fireball. It was hopeless. If Flora had that reflector, she could beat them all.

Iris then saw Sky approach her. "Hey," she said. "Got any use for this one? I think it's about to go." She dropped a purple balloon at Iris's feet, which had smoke emerging from it, but it wasn't from heat. This could work.

Iris glared at the athlete. "Don't take this the wrong way, but thanks."

"Okay?" Sky responded, confused by Iris's demeanor. Iris aimed very carefully at the two Meerkats, and fired right at the two of them.

Paul was the first to notice the balloon. "Quick! Stop it!" he called out. In a snap, Flora turned around and held up the reflector, which caught the balloon. However, instead of bouncing off in a random direction, the balloon burst, leaving what could only be something acidic on the reflector. Flora jumped back and dropped it, and the reflector destroyed itself into the acid. "Oh man," Paul called out.

Sky grabbed two of Iris's balloons. "Now's our chance." Sky began to throw them both, which startled Flora enough to flee. Paul grabbed two of his own and fire back at them. Sky turned her head and saw Iris was gone. "Where are you going?" she called out.

"To do what you won't!" Iris called back, disappearing into the trees again.

Sky and Paul continued their onslaught. Both only having two left, they fired one at each other. Paul sidestepped at the last minute, letting a fireball crash into a tree, while Sky ducked at Paul's balloon, which sent spiders at a tree near her. Having one more shot, both went for the first strike. Paul's balloon flew just underneath Sky's, but neither had enough time to react to the other. Paul coughed as a putrid gas covered him, and Sky yelled as she got a huge wind of ice.

"Two down, one team each!" Chris announced. "Sky and Paul are both out. Three left on each team!"

* * *

**Paul: **"Wow, she has some skills," Paul said in between coughs. "Jonathan, good luck."

* * *

Flora, now far away from the scene, hid behind a tree. As Iris had pursued her, she took cover in a hidden location, waiting for her time to strike. As Flora checked her surroundings, she heard a rustle in a bush. Flora, who was unarmed, got ready to hide behind a nearby rock. Eventually, the object in the bush revealed itself, throwing a balloon. Flora quickly ducked, and avoided getting hit, as the balloon flew over a cliff.

Flora poked her head to see Lavender, holding another balloon. "Who was that?" she asked herself. She then shook her head. "Shouldn't have been that reckless. That could have been one of my own."

"It wasn't." Lavender turned in the direction of the voice to see Flora. "I'm unarmed. Paul had our whole stock."

"Yikes," the nature child commented. "Well...how has your team been?"

Flora hesitated. "Really weird, actually. I found myself helping Jonathan to improve himself. Paul agreed to assist as well." Lavender tilted her head. "But mostly, everyone fights all the time. It's not very enjoyable."

Lavender sat down on a log. "Hold on- you said you're helping Jonathan? Like, helping him improve himself as a person?"

"Yeah," the pacifist said. "It came as a shock when he approached me, but I can tell how serious he is about it."

Lavender thought about it for a second, and her interactions with Sky the other day. "Weird question, but does Ethan know you're doing this?"

Flora shook her head. "Ethan's been dead set on Marty since he arrived on the team. Hasn't even looked over at what we're doing."

* * *

**Lavender: **"I guess some people do want to change," she mused. "Well, I should share that development with Sky. I think she could actually make it work."

* * *

Suddenly, they both heard a drop from behind them. Both of them turned to see Iris holding two balloons. "Flora, that was really touching," she said playfully, "but you know what I have to do." She held up a black balloon. "I'll aim for the feet."

"Wait," Lavender said, holding her hands up. "I found her. She's mine to take out." Flora looked at her with concern until she received a wink back from Lavender.

Iris simply let out a laugh. "Even if I listened to that rule, you don't have what it takes to trick me." She threw the balloon at Flora's foot, which broke into small spikes. While the balloon did connect, only a few got on Flora's shoes. She was otherwise unaffected.

* * *

**Flora: **"Iris has been acting very...different, lately," she noted. "It's almost like she's softening, but trying to keep her tough demeanor. But Quaoar isn't here..."

* * *

"Yawn," Chris complained from a speaker above them. "In the most boring way possible, Flora is out, making it three to two, Eagles!"

Lavender looked at Iris with an annoyed look. "Really?"

Iris shrugged. "Can't talk, and you shouldn't either." Iris then jumped back into a tree, and began to move until she was out of sight again.

Lavender was left there, confused. "What goes through her head?" she wondered.

"Something you wished you had!" another voice sounded out. Lavender jumped back and watched as Marty emerged from behind a tree. He held four balloons still, while Lavender was left with one. Marty let out a dark laugh. "I've been waiting for this one all day!"

Marty then lunged two balloons at Lavender, who ducked under one, revealing that it was a fire ball. Lavender watched as it exploded on a tree. "What's wrong?" Marty taunted. "Can't take the heat? I expected you to not crumble under intense situations. I thought that one years ago was _enough!_"

At those words, a dart fired right at Marty's second balloon. Catching sight of it in time, Marty jumped back, and dropped the balloon. The dart exploded the second one into another fireball. "That was uncalled for," Ethan spoke from above them, holding a dart gun. "Seriously, don't go digging on people like that."

"Stop following me around!" Marty complained. "Don't you see we're the only two left?"

Ethan dropped down, accidentally taking a branch with him. He decided to keep the branch in his hand. "So take me out. Or are you concerned you can't?"

Marty fumed. "We need the numbers. Don't be an idiot."

"Fight me, and we'll see who's the idiot," Ethan said with a smirk, twirling his tree branch around.

The two of them got into the clearing and faced each other. The conflict had given Lavender enough time to flee. "You swear that whichever one of us wins takes out the last three?" Marty asked for clarification.

"Of course," Ethan lied. "After all, I need this challenge more than you do." Marty nodded with a dark smile.

* * *

**Marty: **"He does, since he has that newbie target on him. I'm also super confident I can take him out."

**Ethan: **"I don't," he said with a laugh. "I think he's forgetting what I'm capable of."

* * *

Ethan opened up by throwing all his balloons at once. Marty struggled to dodge them all, but still managed. "You're done, geek!" He hurls one balloon at Ethan, who merely sidesteps it.

Ethan laughed at Marty's throw, despite having nothing but a tree branch. "That's the best you can do?" he taunted. Marty fumed again, hurling another one at an even faster speed. "Bingo!" he shouted. He put up the branch as he watched the balloon rapidly approach him. "This better work..."

* * *

**Ethan: **"Just because Quaoar's not in me doesn't mean I don't know my way around these things anymore," Ethan said, holding the branch. "but this is still gonna suck if I mess up."

* * *

Ethan eyed up the balloon, and once it got close enough, he swung at it with the branch. It was enough power to send it in a different direction, without actually breaking it. A perfect calculation. The balloon flew back at Marty, who tried jumping out of the way. It still managed to clip his shoe, which exploded the balloon into a ball of fire, burning off most of Marty's shoe.

"You idiot!" Marty called out. "Do you know how much I paid for these?"

"Probably nothing," Ethan said dryly. He set the branch down. "Now, it is up to me."

Chris continued to narrate as Ethan walked off. "An inner-team duel results in Marty going out! It's Ethan versus his three former team members!

At that moment, Lavender and Scarlett walked out. "Should we make this fast?" they asked, holding up balloons. Ethan hesitated, and reached for his tree branch. "Don't bother," Scarlett continued. "We have you surrounded."

* * *

**Iris: **"They didn't," she said with a bored expression on her face. "I knew they were done for, so I disappeared."

* * *

Ethan held the branch in position to reflect, when they threw. This time, Ethan waited a bit less, and swung harder when they got close. The balloons exploded on impact with the bat, causing them to explode in green slime all over Ethan. "Thanks for the win," Scarlett said with a dark smirk.

"That's it, people!" Chris announced in person, walking up to them, with everyone else behind him. "With Ethan out, this win goes to the Eagles, again!" The Eagles reacted less this time. They were getting used to their wins. The Meerkats also reacted less, a bit upset, but also getting used to their defeat.

* * *

Ethan walked up to Paul back at the tree fort. "Hey, sorry about today," he said. "I thought Marty would try and throw, so I egged him into a duel, and I thought I could pull that move off a second time."

Paul was confused, but accepting at the apology. "Why would Marty throw?"

"He wanted me gone," the anti-villain confessed. "Throwing was the best option for him." Paul nodded.

Angie then went up to them. "Well, I don't want him throwing tomorrow. I'm in."

Ethan smiled at them. "You will not lose next challenge."

* * *

Dinner was going well at the bunker. Everyone was cleaned up, and food was almost ready. Lavender approached Sky, and sat next to her. "So...I talked to Flora today," she opened with.

Sky looked over. "You two were friends, I bet it's hard being on different teams."

Lavender nodded. "Well, after talking with her...I changed my mind on Jonathan. If you really want to...go for it."

"What changed?" the athlete asked.

"I don't wanna go into it," she admitted. "Just know I changed my mind."

Meanwhile, Iris went up to Kayla in a corner. "You need to stop being so reckless," she insisted. "It cost you today."

Kayla let out a huff. "Why? You're just as reckless."

"I'm serious," Iris said. "If you don't stop messing around, you'll cost the team a challenge, and not only can I not save you, I won't try."

Kayla scoffed. "I won't. I can be reckless and stay in the game."

Iris then had a very visible twitch in her eye. "Really? How will you stay in the game if you run out into the street of the game and someone knocks you out like a truck? What happens then?" Her voice increased with every sentence to the point where everyone was looking at her by the last one. Seeing everyone looking at her, Iris ran out of the bunker.

* * *

**Luna: **"That analogy was...oddly specific. I'll have to look into it."

* * *

**Elimination 4**

The six remaining Meerkats gathered at the elimination ceremony for the fourth time. Angie, Paul, and Flora sat in the back, while Marty, Ethan, and Jonathan sat up front. Chris walked up to the six of them, holding a plate of five marshmallows. "Meerkats, this keeps getting harder the more you lose. You should consider winning."

"Why are you still the host?" Angie asked bitterly.

Chris ignored her comment, and held up the first marshmallow. "Paul, for doing your best, yet failing anyway, here's the first marshmallow." Chris tossed the treat to Paul, who caught it, despite being pretty angry.

"Angie," Chris said, "for your absolute worst performance ever, here's your marshmallow."

"My question still stands," Angie said, rolling her eyes at the host.

Chris held up two more marshmallows. "Flora and Jonathan, you two are also safe." Chris tossed out the marshmallows to the two of them, who caught them eagerly.

Marty and Ethan remained, glaring at each other. "That leaves the team's new blood, and the one you can't seem to get rid of. Ethan, you provoked Marty to the point he caused his own demise, and Marty, you took the bait." Chris held up the final marshmallow. "Tonight's loser is...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...Marty!" Chris tossed Ethan the final marshmallow, who sighed in relief. He turned back, where Paul and Angie nodded at him.

"You're kidding?" Marty complained. "I'm out already? This game was supposed to be mine!"

* * *

"You'll all regret this!" Marty called out, now in the cannon. Chris simply shrugged and hit the button, sending Marty off into the night sky.

As everyone else left, Chris closed off the show. "We've lost four! Who's the next one to get sent out of that cannon? Find out next time on Total! Drama! Fiery Passion!"

(END OF CHAPTER)

* * *

**Votes- Middle Meerkats**

**Angie: **Marty, I lead next, and that requires you to be gone.

**Ethan: **Hopefully they listened to me. Marty, you fought hard.

**Flora: **Sorry, Marty, but I think you are being very negative for our team.

**Jonathan:** Ethan, please, please, stay off of this team!

**Marty:** Ethan won't get away with this! I can still beat him!

**Paul:** Marty, it's time for you to go. I'm sick of it.

**Total- Marty (4), Ethan (2)**

**Eliminated- Marty**

* * *

**Current Teams:**

**Extreme Eagles: **Iris, Kara, Kayla, Lavender, Luna, Max, Scarlett, Shawn, Sky

**Middle Meerkats: **Angie, Ethan, Flora, Jonathan, Max, Paul

Elimination Order:

19th (kind of)- Chander, The Spooky Prankster

18th- Sugar, The Pageant Queen

17th- Norm, The Antisocial Genius

16th- Jasmine, The Outback Amazon

15th- Marty, The Con Artist

* * *

**There goes Marty. Honestly, I didn't have much for him, and especially once, Jasmine left, there was nothing for him to do. So, I got rid of him. Submerged definitely did him more justice.**

**Hey, check out my profile, it might be of interest.**

**Can the Meerkats pull off a win? What is Iris on about? That will be explored next time. But until then, let me know what you thought, review, and I will see you next time!**


	6. Power to the Player

**We've reached the end of the first third already! Time for replies!**

**Guest 1138- Max is becoming a popular guess. Can't imagine why. Hm...**

**Sehpiria Arks- You seem to have quite the list of predictions. Looking at how the season's going, they're not completely out of line, but I will continue to be unpredictable, mark my words.**

**jdawg6739- Paul and Flora are the beginning of Jonathan's redemption arc. Something I wasn't considering coming out of Karon, but after he got like 27th or something horrendous in Submerged I figured the kid earned it.**

**Candela Monsoon- Balance appears to be my favorite word when it comes to placements. That is the one thing I will probably always be predictable about. So, on that note, I'd say your predictions line up pretty well with that. As far as cameos, I believe today's and Zeke will be the only non-Karon cameos. I think.**

**Space Zodiac- Hidden backstories, hidden being the key word. The next few chapters will begin to really flesh out everything Submerged kept under wraps. It's gonna be intense.**

**Time to dive in today's chapter!**

* * *

Episode 6: Power to the Player

The scenes from the previous episode begin to play as Chris begins the narration, starting with Luna and Scarlett trying to best each other for balloons. "Last time," Chris narrated, "on Total Drama Fiery Passion, we said hello to our favorite formerly feral freak show, Ezekiel! We also shot down balloons that we could use to pelt at each other." The next clips were Shawn falling out of the tree from Flora's reflector, and Iris taking out Flora. "Some players proved their worth, as Flora developed a frightening counter, and Iris took half of the Meerkats head on. But, apparently taking things head on was not in her mind at all." The next clip was Iris running out of the bunker at night. "Meanwhile with the Meerkats, Ethan's quest to eliminate Marty went off to a great start when he took him out in a duel to be the last one standing. Ethan than managed to fake a loss, and convince his team to vote off the con artist." The final clips were of Marty getting eliminated, and Ethan conversing with Paul and Angie.

The scene cut back to Chris on the dock, as Chander pushed something very similar to what Kara saw the other day onto the dock. He pushed it next to a set where many more of the same seats were. "Who will drop down today? Which conflicts will erupt? Who will burn out? Find out today on Total! Drama! Fiery Passion!"

* * *

**Opening Sequence**

[Various cameras began to appear in a similar way to the other seasons. The first one appeared out of a lily pad, which seemed to be mechanically connected to the water. Next, one came out of a tree, which spit out some fire as the camera popped out. The final one fell on top of the outhouse confessional, and exploded into a burning flame. The camera then began to fly as the opening played.]

_Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doing fine,_

[The camera arrived at a waterfall, where Shawn poked his head out, to see Jasmine waiting for him. He waved a signal as she went in.]

_You guys are on my mind,_

[Next to the waterfall, Marty stares at them with a scowl on his face. He picks up a stick, smirks at the waterfall, and snaps the stick.]

_You asked me what I wanted to be, and I think the answer is plain to see_

[The camera flies over the waterfall, where Sky is doing Olympic style jumps. She lands one perfectly, much to Jonathan's amazement. Iris runs by and smacks Jonathan over the head. Ethan laughs in the back as Jonathan fumes.]

_I wanna be famous!_

[The camera flies to a clearly mechanical mountain, where Paul and Angie are intensely competing. Angie barely beats him up the hill, which angers Paul.]

_I wanna live close to the sun_

[Lavender and Flora smile at each other as they run off. A hand reaches out to stop one of them.]

_Go pack your bags, 'cause I've already won_

[Lavender turns her head to see Scarlett. The quiet brainiac signals for Lavender to follow her instead.]

_Everything to prove, nothing in my way,_ _I'll get there one day_

[As Sugar tries her hardest trying to build something, she laughs at her own brilliance. Meanwhile, Norm fakes a fall, knocking it over. He gives the pageant queen a sheepish but fake smile.]

_I wanna be famous_

[Paul and Angie are seen in a hot race again, this time Paul has the lead. He skids to a halt and trips her, causing her to fall.]

_Na na nanana na, nanana na, nananananana_

[Kayla kicks the ground, evidently bored, while her sister, Kara, investigates a pipe spitting out fire on the others side. A ball of fire shoots by and ignites another pipe, which causes Kara to look back. Chander is seen blowing out ignition fuel.]

_I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous!_

[Various other high ranking, non-competing contestants appear in silhouettes, as fire shoots out from behind them. Some have items like swords or heavy weights in their hand. Others are just standing there in a menacing fashion.]

_I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous!_

[The scene zooms into the fire, which changes to a traditional campfire.]

_*Whistling*_

[Luna stares at Max with a bright green glow, while Max offers her a contraption he made. The psychic fixes it with her mind, which causes the others to glare at her as they whistle.]

* * *

The sun rose quietly on the Meerkat tree fort. The five remaining players were sleeping pretty soundly, except for Flora, who was outside, observing the false nature around her. Just like Lavender, it upset her how real everything looked, while it was all metal and fake. It was almost infuriating. But not for Flora. For her, it just didn't make sense.

Everyone got up around the same time, and looked around. "Paul, do you feel it today?" she asked.

"Feel what?" Paul responded, still groggy.

* * *

**Flora: **"Exactly. Marty's departure has brought us the gift of losing tension among the team as well. I'm interested to see what happens."

* * *

Angie stepped out of the fort onto the balcony. As she waited outside, she caught sight of Paul. Despite the tension being gone, he still looked upset, and trying to manage himself. The hothead walked over to him, trying to care. "You look mad," she said. "Trust me, I would know."

Paul shrugged. "Doesn't matter anymore. You're gonna get to lead now that Marty's gone." He kicked a wall, putting a small dent in it. He looked very mad about the matter.

Angie watched him struggle to stay okay. "I'll cut you a deal," she said. "We need to both get to the merge. We need each other. How about we work together today? No leaders, just a team of agreement."

Paul nodded. "I guess we can do that." He turned to the other three on the team, who were getting ready for the day. "How are you all with that?"

"I'm in," Ethan said, eating some berries.

Jonathan was out watching off the balcony. "Sure, we really need a win."

Flora smiled as she watched the team come together in agreement for the first time. "I'm glad you guys are all working together now. I think we have a real shot today!" They all smiled at each other. "But the other team is still on high morale. We should still be wary."

* * *

Interestingly enough, the morale of the undefeated Extreme Eagles was at an all-time low. It was almost silent in the bunker that morning. Luna and Max were off plotting. Luna mainly did most of it, while Max offered his "evil" input. Scarlett watched them from a distance, keeping her eye on Max, and really keeping her eye on Luna.

Kayla remained in one corner, now talking to no one. Opposite to her, Iris sat in the other corner, simply reflecting. She hadn't spoken to anyone since she had stormed out of the bunker the past challenge. Every once in a while, someone would shoot her a look, to which she deflected by sinking her head into her knees.

Shawn had began more comfortably interacting with Lavender and Sky. Kara, who had no one to turn to, also began hanging out with them. They normally bonded as they cooked meals for the team, which was something Lavender enjoyed a lot. Shawn got his fun from finding food, which Kara assisted with, so she could take her mind off of the control area that only she knew of.

The only sound in the bunker was of the occasional pot or pan hitting a utensil. Even the four who got along well understood the vibe of the room to not talk often. Eventually, Kara broke the silence with them. "Was it this tense with the other Pahkitew guys?" she asked Sky and Shawn.

Shawn shrugged. "I was never there a ton, but it was only this bad after Ella left. That's when we started to suspect Sugar's true nature."

Sky let out a sigh of relief. "I'm really glad the Meerkats took her out first. They must have been worried she'd start plotting again."

Kara let out a small chuckle. "I don't think that was the issue. I think they were just tired of her." The four of them laughed, which was the loudest the bunker had been in ages. Kara looked around, and caught a few glares from the others that were trying to sulk. "I remember during Karon's merge, the day after Helio left. The entire camp seemed split on whether to get rid of Ethan or Jonathan next. It was so hard to hold a conversation with anyone without trying to earn their vote."

"Maybe that's what the game has come to," Sky pointed out. "But, I hope that isn't _entirely_ true."

Lavender laughed. "I still can't fully process someone is willingly falling for Jonathan."

Kara spoke up next, changing the topic. She spoke in more of a whisper. "I'm worried about Kayla. It's fine she's adopted Iris's strategy, but she's taking it a bit far, don't you think?"

"She said she wants to go as far as she can with it," Lavender mentioned. "I don't think that it's our place to interfere."

"I hope she'll be fine," Kara said. Over in the corner, Kayla raised an eyebrow.

* * *

**Kayla: **She let out a huff. "I don't get what the big deal is," she said. "I have a plan. This will be fine."

* * *

The tense area was finally broken by Chris sending an announcement to all of them. "Attention, flame food!" he said. "I need everyone over at the dock, now."

"I'm so sick of the fire challenges," Shawn said, walking out of the bunker. "When do we get to fight the undead?"

* * *

Everyone gathered on the dock, while Chris stood in front of them, and Chander was behind the host, tidying up a few wires. "Those are them!" Kara said. Immediately, Chander flung his head in her direction. Kara backed up a bit, and tried to save it. "I mean...those are what?" Chander put his hands on his face, and everyone looked at Kara with suspicion.

Chris knocked on one of the virtual reality chairs. "Campers, you're going to love this one," he told them. "This is not a painful challenge...after the fact."

"What exactly is that supposed to mean?" Paul asked him.

Chris laughed. "Oh, you'll feel it once we get moving, but after you're out of the challenge, you'll feel great...or...as great as you did feel before." He then pointed up to the sky, where a green helicopter was dropping down someone. "Oh, here's today's cameo!" The white bag holding the cameo dropped right past everyone into the water. "Please welcome someone who would have been much more eager to do this challenge than any of you...Therion!"

Therion pulled himself out of the water. "Hello, all," he said. "Chander, I like the new job." Chander gave him a thumbs up.

* * *

**Chander: **"I actually liked Therion," he explained. "He was the only one who voted for Marty with me. The only one."

* * *

Therion looked around. "I thought Marty was here."

"Booted him last episode," Ethan told him. "Dude was asking for it." Therion smiled.

Chris yawned. "That's a touching reunion," he said, "but you have a job to explain this challenge."

"Right," Therion said. He walked over to the virtual reality machines and a monitor sitting next to them. "Karon folks, you've seen this one: a virtual reality machine. You'll be transported in there through these neuron transmitters." As he explained, Scarlett carefully examined the machines, while Shawn backed up a bit.

Shawn let out a huff. "You won't have my brains. That's a certainty."

Therion continued. "Once you're in, you have to scavenge for a car. You will do a team race to figure out who wins today's challenge." The monitor showed a giant track that circled a volcano. "First place earns ten points, second place earns seven, and third place gets five points."

"Wait a second," Angie pointed out. "So you don't need to win for your team to win?"

"Nope," Therion said. "But, for every player that doesn't cross, you lose one point, so if three of your members don't make it, you really will need that first place." He touched the monitor, and little pictures of each player's head appeared on the screen, with three dots underneath it. "You can pick up fireballs on the track and throw them at each other. If you get hit three times, you're out, and you don't finish. Yes, friendly fire counts." The screen shifted to some other hazardous things, encased in a bright shade of red. "There are other things on the track to make you lose lives, so be careful."

A few people looked excited to begin, while most were determined to make sure their team wins. "Alright," Therion concluded. "Step up. Your order out her doesn't matter."

Everyone eventually sat down in the machine and strapped in. "If this thing eats me while I'm in there," Shawn told the two of them, "I'm totally suing!"

* * *

Luna was the first to wake up in the new reality. "Ugh, the air here is atrocious," she noted.

A roaring voice came from over her. "That's right!" Chris's voice sounded. "We designed this challenge so you wouldn't be at an advantage, so don't bother with the psychic tricks!" Luna fumed as she sat down.

Kayla looked up to try and reason with the voice. "Why can't all of our challenges be here than?" she asked.

Chris let out a groan. "Do you even understand how stale that would become? We need originality!"

"...Isn't this whole season about doing the bad challenges again?" Lavender asked. At that moment, a giant fireball dropped from the sky. Lavender narrowly dodged it. "Right," she told herself, "don't anger the guy with the power to send you both home and to death."

People all began to shift into gear, waking up in the new reality. Both teams conglomerate to think of a plan. The five Meerkats focused. "We all need to stick together, both here and in the race," Angie suggested. "As long as we keep each other safe, there's no way we can lose."

"There is," Paul added. "If they beat us. Honestly, we need to send one person way ahead, and then send the rest on combat duty." Flora smiled at their conversations. The team was finally making plans as a group, instead of a dictatorship.

Ethan then looked at the four of them. "Here's the issue with those- Iris will expect that. We saw her in the balloon game. We have to outsmart her outsmart the rest of the Eagles. With Luna hindered, this is our chance." He leaned closer to all of them. "Here's our plan," he whispered, as he proceeded to tell them the plan.

* * *

**Paul: **"Wow," he said, shocked. "I guess there's a reason he's won and I haven't."

**Jonathan: **"Credit where it's due," he admitted, "That was a very solid plan."

* * *

The Eagles had already lost Kayla, who already began looking for a car. "Your sidekick has gone missing," Max teased Iris. "How do you expect to manage after that?" He turned and gave Luna a high-five, as Scarlett rolled her eyes at the super villain's comment.

Iris merely shook her head and faced the team. "I remain here today," she said. "We have to cooperate as much as possible, as much as it pains me to say it." She looked off into the distance again to find that Kayla was already long gone.

Kara also looked out there. This challenge upset her a bit since she would not have any chance to go and explore the control area. But, it also gave her a chance to contribute. "We should get her," the curious twin suggested.

Iris shook her head again. "It's no use, we can't convince her otherwise."

"You're going to give up just like that?" Kara asked. This must have struck something in Iris, because she immediately shot up, looked around, and bolted off in Kayla's direction. Luna took note of this.

* * *

**Luna: **"Something's up with her and Kayla," she said. "I'm aware of their pseudo-alliance, but there's something else there." She slammed her fist into her other hand. "And there's nothing that can stop me from getting that info."

* * *

Everyone turned at another sound, which was the Meerkats already running off in a group. "No time to formulate something," Scarlett told them. "We just need to find a car that works." At that instruction, all nine Eagles ran off to try and find a car.

Flora was the first to find a car, which appeared to be fast. She tapped it a few times, and saw a list of statistics appear over the car. It was a slower car with good handling. "I can work with this," she said at first, then paused. "Or, someone else could benefit more." She went to go seek out a different team member.

At that point, Kayla jumped down from a tree to try and take the car. She took a look at the stats. "Not fast enough," she said with a scoff. At that moment, she saw Flora coming back with Jonathan. "Oh no," she muttered.

"Stop her!" Jonathan called out. Kayla began to run as fast she could away from the location. Once she was away, Jonathan took possession of the car.

It was at that point where Kayla tripped, landing in front of another car. "Perfect," she said to herself. She tapped on the car, showing the stats. This one was extremely fast and agile, but not very durable or easy to control. "I can totally handle this," she said.

"No, you can't," someone said, popping out of the car. Kayla turned to the door and saw Iris step out. "You are way too reckless for this car. Please, take my advice this one time."

"You said that you weren't helping me anymore," Kayla said. "I'll take this car. You aren't trustworthy to me." Kayla forced Iris out of the way, and got into the car. Iris hung her head as Kayla went over to the track.

* * *

Meanwhile, outside the VR world, Chander was outside his chamber, heavily locking down the area. Chris walked over to him. "Whatcha doing?" the host asked the spooky prankster.

Chander grumbled. "Locking down this place. That one girl keeps showing up."

"What's down there to see?" Chris asked. "I thought you just had like a small, underground office space."

Chander opened up the door. "I took some liberties on your fire ideas. Take a look." The two of them walked inside, with several audible wows emerging from Chris.

* * *

Luna stood in front of the six other team members who were with her. Also in front of her were three cars. "These are all I managed to find," she said. At her surprise, two more cars were pushed up by none other than Max. "Where did you find those?"

Max chuckled. "You insisted that I looked under the rocks, and as you should have. Seems you are a decent sidekick after all." He got in a car and drove over. He stopped right before he left. "Get in the other one I found." Luna sighed as she obeyed him.

As the psychic walked over to her assigned car, Scarlett chuckled at her. "Let me know when you're done," she told him.

"Why? Luna hissed back, "so you can take him?"

Scarlett gagged briefly, than shook her head. "I was actually going to get rid of him," she said. "I have done it once before." Luna stared at her as the brainiac entered a car. Lavender and Sky entered the other two.

Kara and Shawn were left to find cars. "Where do you want to look?" Shawn asked. "My guess is that Luna and Max cleaned up this area."

Kara looked around to find some sort of clue. Eventually, she gave up. "Let's find Iris. I'm sure she could use our help." With that, the two of them went off to find the paranoid girl.

* * *

Paul and Flora poked their head out from a bush. In front of them was a bear that had three cars behind it. "This will be big if we can manage this," Paul said. "Are you sure you can do this? I don't want you getting hurt."

Flora nodded. "It's just a bear. And remember, I can't die here." She then stepped out to the bear. "Hello," she said, calmly walking up to it. "Would it be possible to borrow two or three of the cars?" The bear roared at her. "I'm not sure how easy it will be for us, but we could return them twofold by the end of the day." The bear roared at her again.

Flora backed up a few steps as the bear lunged. Flora was able to dodge a few times, but she was now backed into a corner. She kept backing off as much as she could, but the bear caught up to her. As it raised its paw to swipe at her, a whole tree fell down on top of the bear, knocking it out. From where the tree came from, Angie jumped down. "Let's grab these and go," she told her. "I liked your idea, but we all need to fight sometimes." The three of them grabbed cars and left.

Ethan was the only Meerkat without a car. He was in the woods, making one. "This should be all I need," he said, looking at the car. "Fast and agile, as long as I'm never hit, this should work." He drove it off to the track.

* * *

Kara and Shawn caught up to Iris, who was sulking in the woods. "Iris!" Kara called out, running to her. "We're almost out of time. You still need a car?" She then noticed that Iris was upset. Kara sighed and sat next to her. "Look, Kayla's not your fault. I should have dissuaded her from being reckless earlier. Her whole season's been a mess."

"This isn't your fault," Iris responded genuinely. "I accepted her proposal. I should have focused on my own game." She let out a loud groan. "This happened last time too! I teamed up with those other two and it cost me!" She kicked a rock on the ground. "What do I do?"

"I can talk to her if you want," Kara asked.

Iris shook her head. "No, it has to be me." She then pointed behind her. "There's like five cars back there. I've been gathering them up." Shawn and Kara exchanged glances, then went back to grab a car.

* * *

With everyone in possession of a car, they all line up at the start for the race. Therion's voice sounded from above them. "This is a three lap race," he told them. "The race ends once three people cross the line." A giant hologram appeared above them, mapping out the course. "You will first turn left at the beginning, through the woods, over a volcano, and try not to die on the final slope. Then, you do that two more times."

"Ready for the plan?" Ethan asked, looking over to the team.

"Ready," Flora said.

Angie shrugged. "Yeah, okay."

Jonathan was eyeing up some fireballs on the track. "Oh yeah, I'm ready."

The Eagles were still tense and silent. "Let's do our best," Scarlett assured them. "Just take them out and we win."

"Ready?" Therion asked rhetorically from above. "Go!" he said, as the fourteen of them began to speed down the track. Ethan was furthest ahead, followed by Flora, with the other three Meerkats sandwiching in the Eagles.

It was clear that the Meerkats had their plan in full swing. "Action, people!" Angie shouted. The three in the back, skidded to a halt, and began collecting fireballs. "Remember, stay behind them at all times. It will be harder for them to dodge."

That was the exact problem Ethan and Flora were dealing with. Luna picked up a fireball while staying in motion, and shot at both of them. Ethan managed to outdo it, while Flora was hit, taking the first life. Thankfully, her car was fast enough to stay ahead of them. Luna hissed at them as they began to pull away. "Max!" she shouted. "I'm out of ammo! You're up!"

"Do not try to usurp me," Max insisted. "I know what I need to do!" He grabbed two fireballs and threw them directly forward. What he didn't pay attention to was the wall in front of him. Everyone else made their left, while he headed straight for the wall. The only things that stopped him were his own two fireballs, putting Max at one life.

Flora took note of that and messaged the people in the back. "Max is down two hits," Flora told them. "He's easy."

Jonathan pointed ahead. "You heard her. Take him out!" The three of them flew forward to go after their target, as they began to ascend the volcano.

Max's car began to struggle as it began to go up the hill, as Kayla and a few others sped right past him. Max began to drift to the back, and the three Meerkats began to push.

Paul threw a fireball first, followed by the other two. As Paul's fireball approached Max, he swerved out of the much more than he needed to, sending him into the wall. All Paul's fireball went forward and hit Sky, Angie's fireball went past and hit Kara, while Jonathan's hit Shawn. "It's something," Jonathan said. "You guys keep moving." The lover boy drifted to a stop. "I want the gremlin."

"You got it," Angie said, picking up two more fireballs. "We get Sky next, before Jonathan comes back." Paul nodded. "Let's do it!" Both of them fired, but Sky caught sight of them as they were doing it. She got hit by one, but dodged the other sending it into the wall.

"Nice try!" she called out. "But now it's my turn to attack!" Sky threw two fireballs backward, the first one striking Paul. The second fireball flew behind both of them. "Oh no," Sky said, realizing what she did.

Jonathan grabbed a fireball and aimed. "Let's settle the score," he said darkly. Max shivered as he backed up against a wall, until he was hit by a fireball coming back. Jonathan watched as the boy dissolved into a white powder, much like he had seen the first VR challenge. "Well, that's one." He quickly accelerated and began to try and catch up with the other two in the back.

Paul took a look behind him. "He's coming back!" he shouted at Angie.

Angie sighed. "Let's get this done quickly then," she insisted. She swiped one of Paul's fireballs, and fired. Sky had no time to dodge, since Angie had gotten herself so close. Sky then vaporized in the same way Max did.

Jonathan then made it back to them. "Who did you guys get up here?" he asked.

"Someone we couldn't rely on you to get," Paul said. Jonathan got the message.

* * *

**Paul: **"We're finally working as a team," he admitted. "I think that this structure is going to work moving forward."

* * *

Scarlett was throwing a lot of things at Flora, who was cleanly dodging all of it. "You know those weapons will only go forward and hit your teammate," she reminded him.

Flora looked ahead. The track was reaching the jump over the volcano. "No, they're all going down," she told her. "I think. You are smarter than I am."

That remark made Scarlett mad. She pressed a button on her car, morphing it into a car with fire spikes shooting off of it. "Let's make this quick." Scarlett sped up, something Flora was unable to do. As she drove up against Flora, the pacifist noticed her health bar draining. The onslaught was only stopped by the jump, which since Scarlett had not prepared for, made her fall. Scarlett descended into the lava, dissolving instantly. Flora made it off of the jump with one life.

Therion laughed from above. "Did I mention that non-fireball traps kill you instantly? I would avoid them at all costs."

* * *

**Scarlett: **She was perfectly fine, sitting in the confessional with a scowl on her face. "I may have to prolong Lavender's departure," she decided. "I think there's a smarter option even Luna won't figure out."

**Flora: **"Was that mean back there?" she asked the confessional. "I hope it wasn't. I think Scarlett's struggling to make friends, and I'd love to help her out."

* * *

Up at the front, Flora's setback caused Kayla to whiz by her. She had her sights on first place. The only person ahead was Ethan, who was essentially driving in a glass cannon. Kayla picked up a fireball, and aimed it at the anti-villain. Ethan turned around, and tossed one back, causing a ball of smoke to erupt at the top of the volcano. Kayla lost sight for some time, and almost drove off the side.

She turned around to see Iris and Kara, the former with a chain attached to her car, dragging Kayla back in. "How many times do I have to tell you to stop being so reckless?" Iris asked angrily.

"You said you would stop helping," Kayla insisted. Iris scowled at her, and Kayla drove away the instant her vision cleared up.

Kara looked over to the paranoid girl, while sending a fireball back. The fireball missed everyone. "Why are you insistent on keeping up with helping her?" she asked. "It's almost unnerving how far you're willing to go."

Iris shifted in her seat. "My reasons are beyond your understanding."

The curious girl tilted her head. "Wait, you don't-"

"I'm dating Quaoar," Iris responded. The sound of her boyfriend's name caused her to twitch a bit, as they never finished hashing out their issues before the show. "I knew you would jump to that," she told her. "That's why I said-" she paused mid-sentence, swung the chain back, and broke the course of a fireball, causing a smokescreen behind her. The smokescreen caused Jonathan to veer off the track, making him dissolve instantly. "That's why I said you wouldn't get it. Because you wouldn't."

At this point, Kara simply accepted Iris's dismissive behavior. She couldn't worry about both Chander's chamber and whatever was going on between those two.

Flora was still struggling to reach up ahead. Kayla was getting onto Ethan's tail, which would seriously hurt the plan. Flora knew she'd have to go up and try and stop Kayla, without losing her last life. She tried accelerating down the hill, which was working, but not as much as she wanted it to. Flora began to whiz by everyone near her, passing Kara and Iris easily, and making it up to Kayla.

Ethan caught sight of her, very aware that Kayla was coming for him. "Flora, I have a plan!" he shouted. "Throw a fireball at me!" Flora hesitated. She didn't want to directly hurt anyone. "It won't hit me, I promise!" he shouted more. "Once you throw, speed up!"

Flora sighed, and grabbed a fireball from the ground. Flora hesitantly threw forward, going past Kayla. At the last second, Ethan deflected it with one of his own, causing another smokescreen. The smoke went right over the finish, making the left turn at the beginning of the second lap near impossible. Kayla kept going, determined to try and see through the smoke. She nearly made it when she saw the wall. Unfortunately, she saw it way too late. Crashing into the wall, she watched as her car broke a bit, dropping her to two lives. "No!" Kayla shouted. By the time the smoke cleared, Flora had gained the chance to take second place back.

Ethan leaned into the Meerkat's messaging system. "Flora and I got her," he told them. "You guys are up."

Paul and Angie picked up a fireball from the track. They moved further into the pack, and began to fire. Seeing the shots fly right at her, Iris swerved into the fireball's path, knocking one out. This caused her to go off course a bit, but she kept on the track, losing one life. With no one to stop the second one, Paul's fireball struck her, bringing Kayla down to one life. Still behind her, Angie looked over at Paul. "I'm going in for the kill," she told him. "Fall back." Paul nodded, dropping back to last place again. Lavender fired a few shots, but they still missed.

Kayla swooped up a fireball from the ground at the last second. "You won't get out of this unscathed!" she shouted. As Angie swerved to knock her out, Kayla threw the fireball directly down, making a giant explosion. Angie was brought down to two lives, and since they were nearby, Shawn and Kara took another hit. Kayla suffered her final life from the explosion, dissolving her.

"Perfect," Angie said with a smirk. She went to message Ethan. "The threat's gone," she assured him. "As long as you and Flora finish, the game's ours."

"Neat," Ethan said. "Shawn's at one life finish him off to be safe."

As everyone continued on the second lap, nothing else much happened. Paul and Angie attempted a few shots at Shawn, but he dodged them cleanly. The track was becoming almost uninhabitable with the amount of carnage on it. The third lap would be challenging.

* * *

Shawn grabbed two fireballs and threw them back. Impressively, he hit Paul and Angie simultaneously, knocking both of them down to one life. "How are you and Flora looking up there?" Paul asked quickly.

* * *

**Shawn: **"With all these people trying to kill me," Shawn mentioned, "I'm basically fighting against like, five zombies. Think about it, they can't die, shoot fire, I mean, how is that not a zombie?"

* * *

"Good enough. Iris is coming close, but we can take her," Ethan mentioned back. His lead had maintained the entire game, but he still worried what would happen if someone managed to reach him.

Paul turned to Angie. "This whole thing's for nothing if we go down. We need to fall way back." Angie agreed with him, pressing on her brake pedal, and falling back so they were out of everyone's range.

Up front, Iris was steadily advancing. "Flora, I'm sorry," she said. "My team needs this!" She picked up a fireball, and mercilessly threw it at the pacifist. Flora, unequipped to dodge or retaliate simply had no choice but to be hit, knocking her out of the competition, dissolving in front of them. "You're next, Ethan!" Iris shouted.

Ethan was way ahead, but still had Iris in his sight. "Time to save myself," he said, grabbing ten fireballs that he had been picking up along the track. He began to relentlessly fire at Iris. Since she was a while away, Iris had time to dodge pretty well, but still got hit by two out of the ten. Now at one life, Iris was a bit more careful, but also aware that Ethan was unarmed. She moved up, and aimed with four fireballs. As she got closer, she was shocked when Ethan pulled out two more fireballs.

"Don't be reckless," Iris thought to herself. Ethan shot the last two he had a point blank, which Iris threw hers right at them. This created a giant smokescreen for both of them, but neither was damaged. The smokescreen lingered past the two of them advancing past it. Right after them, Lavender and Kara stuggled through it.

Shawn had reached the giant smoke cloud, but what he didn't know was that Angie had pushed forward. "Gotcha," she said, throwing two fireballs straight into the fray. The first one knocked Shawn out, dissolving him, while the second one hit Lavender, bringing her to one life.

Angie messaged the other two left on her team. "I got Shawn. Ethan, win. Paul, we're dropping back."

"Got it," both of them said at the same time. Ethan pressed as hard as he could, and propelled forward down the hill. Paul, slammed on the brakes, dropping back to Angie. The rest of the Eagles struggled to try and match Ethan, but it simply wasn't enough. Ethan crossed the finish line for a first place finish. As he crossed the finish, he began to fade away, leaving the simulation. Iris crossed second, and Lavender made third. As Lavender crossed, everyone left on the track faded away to the real world.

* * *

Back in the real world, everyone woke up from the simulation. "I honestly didn't expect that much defeat," Therion said. "But, let's look at the scores." He pulled up a monitor, where the scores were being added. "With second and third place, but losing five members, the Extreme Eagles finish off with two points." The Eagles let out a groan, as they knew it wasn't enough. "With first place and losing two members, the Middle Meerkats earned six points, and the victory."

The Meerkats cheered, super excited at their first victory. Paul pumped his fist, Ethan cheered, Angie smirked with intensity, Jonathan cheered, and Flora smiled, watching her team celebrate the results of teamwork. The Eagles were not so happy, and the tension was obvious with them. "Eagles," Chris said, "I'll be seeing all of you tonight for your first elimination.

* * *

The bunker was tense. Iris sat in the corner, unable to determine whether she was mad or upset. Kayla was mad, knowing her game play was solid, but still angry. Scarlett was speaking with Max and Luna. "We need to drop this bet tonight," Scarlett said. "I have a better idea." She eyed up Shawn, who was cooking dinner with Kara, Sky, and Lavender.

Luna shook her head. "About that," she said. "I sort of went around and convinced people of who to vote for." Scarlett crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at Luna. "No cheating," she said, "I just brought up excellent points. You had to have been there."

* * *

**Luna: **"Iris was not my choice tonight," she admitted. "There was a much more obvious solution to put the threatening parts of the team at a standstill."

* * *

Up at the tree fort, everyone was celebrating. "Do you guys understand what teamwork brought us?" Flora asked.

"I guess you're right," Angie admitted. "We don't need a leader. We just need to keep communicating." She turned to Paul. "That messenger thing was a great idea."

Paul put his hands up in defense. "That wasn't me. It was Flora." Everyone laughed and enjoyed themselves that night. "I wonder who they're voting off."

"Tough to tell," Jonathan said. "I just hope it's not Sky..."

* * *

**Scarlett: **"Luna's points were actually quite convincing. I can put this to my use as well."

**Iris: **"I'm not an idiot," she said. "I know I'm a target tonight. My vote is for Luna."

**Lavender: **"This feels so wrong," she said. "But it makes sense..."

* * *

**Elimination 5**

The Eagles sat in two rows. The row in the back consisting of Luna, Max, Scarlett, Kayla, and Iris. The second row had Sky, Shawn, Lavender, and Kara. Chris walked up to them, eight marshmallows on the plate. "Welcome to the first elimination," Chris said. "You guys should have this down by now. No marshmallow here means you're in the cannon there." He pointed behind them, where the cannon was aimed far away from the island.

Chris held up the first two marshmallows. "Kara, Sky, you two are safe." The curious girl and the athlete claimed their marshmallows, and awaited the rest of their team's fate. "Lavender and Max, you two are also safe."

With five left, people began to look uneasy. Iris began giving death glares. Luna looked straight forward, not flinching at all. Scarlett looked slightly nervous, Shawn appeared unnerved, and Kayla glared at them as well. "Shawn and Scarlett, you two are also safe." He tossed the two marshmallows to the Pahkitew contestants, who looked relieved to know they were still competing. Chris announced the next name. "Iris," he said, throwing the paranoid girl a safety symbol. Iris caught it without looking, and ate it, looking relieved but still worried.

"This is it," Chris said. "Luna, you've been dangerous since you've arrived, showing no mercy. Kayla, you showed up and decided a few days later you'd show no mercy, but now it seems you've at least gathered some votes." Chris held up the final marshmallow. "Tonight's loser is...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...Kayla!" Chris tossed Luna a marshmallow, which she teleported to the fire. She shot Kayla a dark smirk.

Kayla was in shock. "Wait, really? You guys actually voted me off?"

The team was silent for a while, when Shawn spoke up. "We were convinced it was a...smart idea." Kayla sighed, while Iris glared at Luna, who shrugged her off.

* * *

At the cannon, Kayla was now inside. "Well, that sucked," she admitted. She looked down at Kara. "This one's all you. I know you can do it this time."

"Thanks, I-" Kara had begun her sentence, but was interrupted by Kayla being shot, flying out of sight and out of the game.

"Uh, guys?" Lavender said, looking around, "where did Iris go?"

* * *

**Iris: **"She was sitting in the confessional, head down, almost in tears. "I...failed. I failed you, Kayla, and I failed you...Anna."

* * *

"Woah, who?" Chris asked, sitting in a secret location. "How will the Eagles bounce back? Who will I bring back? Who will be shot? And who will not? Find out next time, on Total! Drama! Fiery Passion!"

(END OF CHAPTER)

* * *

**Votes: Extreme Eagles**

**Iris: **Luna think she can convince everyone to send me home. No chance.

**Kara: **I have to go with Luna on this one. Too risky otherwise.

**Kayla: **Luna messed up. By messed up, I mean I hate her.

**Lavender: **It pains me to do this, but I've fought you before, Kayla. You're a threat.

**Luna: **Things are falling into place. Goodbye, Kayla.

**Max: **Luna's strategy abilities gives me more time for evil, so I obey her and vote for Kayla.

**Scarlett: **Luna actually made sense. Sorry, Kayla. Not really.

**Shawn: **I didn't expect it, but Luna made sense. Kayla, I'm sorry.

**Sky: **Luna's fishy. She has my vote.

**Total- Kayla (5), Luna (4)**

**Eliminated: Kayla**

* * *

**Current Teams:**

**Extreme Eagles: **Iris, Kara, Lavender, Luna, Max, Scarlett, Shawn, Sky

**Middle Meerkats: **Angie, Ethan, Flora, Jonathan, Max, Paul

Elimination Order:

19th (kind of)- Chander, The Spooky Prankster

18th- Sugar, The Pageant Queen

17th- Norm, The Antisocial Genius

16th- Jasmine, The Outback Amazon

15th- Marty, The Con Artist

14th- Kayla, The Brat

* * *

**Yep, Kayla's gone. You know my thoughts on balance, and she's already made the merge twice. It was coming to her eventually.**

**We learn a lot about Iris this chapter. Who's Anna? We will find that out...maybe in two chapters? I honestly forget.**

**Thanks to Epifanio Therion for letting me borrow Therion for the challenge. That is the only submerged cameo...I think.**

**So, that's all I have for now. Just, uh, be sure to review, and I'll see you next time!**


	7. Fire on the Dance Floor

**New chapter, new replies! Fire em up!**

**Sephiria Arks- If you want a good look into the fire chamber, this is a great chapter for it. We learn a lot about how it's all working, and how Kara keeps getting in.**

**Guest 1138- Interestingly, it's Kayla's first double digit placement. Mario kart was definitely the vibe I was going for, with a bit of fire and fighting people. VR challenges are neat because I kinda get to go wild.**

**Candela Monsoon- Fun predictions about Anna. I'd tell you to read down below to figure it out, but she doesn't get answered here...it'll keep the suspense up a bit.**

**Now, who goes home today?**

* * *

Episode 7: Fire on the Dance Floor

The island looked a bit different today. It was almost perfectly symmetrical, with a high point in the center, where it plateaued out. All the way on the bottom, Chris stood on the dock, while Chander was next to him, in a fire-proof suit, tampering with a gadget. "Last time," Chris said, "on Total Drama, we took a cruise back to the virtual reality machines, where we quite literally, had a race to the death." He sighed as clips of the race began to play. "If only we could do that in real life. The Meerkats, down by four players, decided that working together might be the answer they were looking for." The next clips were of the Meerkats constantly communicating during the race to make plays. "Ethan's plan to jackrabbit the competition got him first place, and the win for his team. Meanwhile, Iris continued to insist that Kayla stop being so reckless, which she ignored." The next clip was Kayla causing and explosion and getting dissolved during the race. "In the end, the Meerkats and their superior teamwork led them to their first victory, and Kayla was sent home by Luna, much to Iris's dismay...and apparently Anna, whoever that is." The final clips were Kayla's elimination and Iris in the confessional.

Back on the dock, Chander hit a button, which caused a square tile in front of him to burst into flames. "Who gets to be hurled into the sky with gunpowder? What is Chander planning next? Can the Eagles bounce back from their first loss? Find out today on Total! Drama! Fiery Passion!"

* * *

**Opening Sequence**

[Various cameras began to appear in a similar way to the other seasons. The first one appeared out of a lily pad, which seemed to be mechanically connected to the water. Next, one came out of a tree, which spit out some fire as the camera popped out. The final one fell on top of the outhouse confessional, and exploded into a burning flame. The camera then began to fly as the opening played.]

_Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doing fine,_

[The camera arrived at a waterfall, where Shawn poked his head out, to see Jasmine waiting for him. He waved a signal as she went in.]

_You guys are on my mind,_

[Next to the waterfall, Marty stares at them with a scowl on his face. He picks up a stick, smirks at the waterfall, and snaps the stick.]

_You asked me what I wanted to be, and I think the answer is plain to see_

[The camera flies over the waterfall, where Sky is doing Olympic style jumps. She lands one perfectly, much to Jonathan's amazement. Iris runs by and smacks Jonathan over the head. Ethan laughs in the back as Jonathan fumes.]

_I wanna be famous!_

[The camera flies to a clearly mechanical mountain, where Paul and Angie are intensely competing. Angie barely beats him up the hill, which angers Paul.]

_I wanna live close to the sun_

[Lavender and Flora smile at each other as they run off. A hand reaches out to stop one of them.]

_Go pack your bags, 'cause I've already won_

[Lavender turns her head to see Scarlett. The quiet brainiac signals for Lavender to follow her instead.]

_Everything to prove, nothing in my way,_ _I'll get there one day_

[As Sugar tries her hardest trying to build something, she laughs at her own brilliance. Meanwhile, Norm fakes a fall, knocking it over. He gives the pageant queen a sheepish but fake smile.]

_I wanna be famous_

[Paul and Angie are seen in a hot race again, this time Paul has the lead. He skids to a halt and trips her, causing her to fall.]

_Na na nanana na, nanana na, nananananana_

[Kayla kicks the ground, evidently bored, while her sister, Kara, investigates a pipe spitting out fire on the others side. A ball of fire shoots by and ignites another pipe, which causes Kara to look back. Chander is seen blowing out ignition fuel.]

_I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous!_

[Various other high ranking, non-competing contestants appear in silhouettes, as fire shoots out from behind them. Some have items like swords or heavy weights in their hand. Others are just standing there in a menacing fashion.]

_I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous!_

[The scene zooms into the fire, which changes to a traditional campfire.]

_*Whistling*_

[Luna stares at Max with a bright green glow, while Max offers her a contraption he made. The psychic fixes it with her mind, which causes the others to glare at her as they whistle.]

* * *

The bunker was quiet again. No one could handle the tension of what happened last night. There was a clear division on the team, and it needed to be figured out. Scarlett decided to go out for a walk, and ignore everyone else. She began running through her mind different ways to eliminate Flora. She always managed to make it far, so Scarlett would have to think hard about this one, especially since no one has ever actually voted her off.

She was tired of feeling like Luna's sidekick. She spent all of her last season being attached to Max, and now Luna was taking control of her. Lavender could not leave until she was weakened, and Flora was the perfect way to do it. The only matter left was how. The Meerkats were unbeatable now, and with Flora holding them together, it'd be impossible to get to her.

Scarlett must have wandered far from the bunker, because she ran into Flora herself, collection berries for her team. Flora turned around to the brainiac and smiled. "Good morning!" she said cheerfully.

"No, it isn't," Scarlett said with a huff. "My plans aren't working."

Flora frowned. "Is this about what I said at the challenge the other day? I'm so sorry about that. I really didn't mean anything by it."

Scarlett looked up at the pacifist. "Well...thanks." She faked her a smile, and continued walking. Flora then left to go back to the tree fort. As Scarlett kept moving, she saw an odd part of the woods. Exploring it a bit more, she saw that an area was completely blocked off my bushes. Curious, she poked her head through the bushes, and saw the perfect item. She walked over to it, and picked it up. Attached was a note:

_When I am played, the night belongs to you._

Scarlett had found it.

* * *

When Flora arrived back at the tree fort, she was delighted at what she had been able to do. Everyone was awake, functioning, and working together. Even Jonathan and Ethan were working together, making breakfast. "We should think ahead," Jonathan suggested to them. "We probably have a challenge today."

"Forget that," Angie said, cleaning up a mess in a corner. "Did you guys hear they voted off Kayla? Someone's up to something."

"Kara and Iris were both on that team," Paul said, confused. "I think someone really got to the rest of them. Scarlett?"

Flora shook her head. "Scarlett's reformed," she said. "I can sense how pure she is." She sighed. "But she's struggling with someone on her team. I couldn't make out who."

Paul was still perplexed. "Well, if you think so, I'll take your word on Scarlett. What about Iris?"

"No one's seen her since the vote," Jonathan said. "I was...talking with someone, and they said she never returned."

Ethan rolled his eyes. "We know it's Sky," he said. "Are you guys forgetting Luna? Really?"

Angie pointed at Ethan in agreement. "I second that. Luna's dangerous. It was probably her." She thought back to last season, where Luna nearly killed a few of them. She'd need a good plan.

* * *

**Angie: **"With Luna probably running at full power," she analyzed, "we need a way to weaken her first. She probably already has minions running around." She sighed. "This won't be easy."

* * *

The bunker's aura had not improved. With Kayla's departure, it was arguably worse. Iris had not returned at all, and Luna and Max barely were inside. With Scarlett gone, that only left four Eagles in the bunker. "This bites," Kara said with a hint of sadness. "I really expected Kayla and I to make the merge."

Lavender raised her hand apologetically. "I know I told you already, but it simply wasn't helping our team the way she was continuing." She gestured to Kara. "She wouldn't even listen to you."

Kara nodded. "I know. I just wish that there was a better way to handle this." She diced some plants into a pot. "But you're sure Luna was the one plotting?"

"It was her," Shawn said. "She spoke with Lavender and I right before the elimination."

Sky fumed. "I knew it was her! But, that only accounts for four votes."

"I've been checking the votes," Kara reassured her. "Scarlett was the fifth." She looked around. "Where is she?"

"Right here," the brainiac said, entering the bunker. "I was out looking for Iris. She should have come back eventually."

Lavender nodded. "Should have, but hasn't. But, we need an ironclad strategy to secure victory today. Kayla was losing it, but she was still strong."

Scarlett thought about her interaction with Flora earlier today. "That...shouldn't be an issue." As she finished, a piercing noise filled the speakers. "Right on cue."

"Attention, flame feeders!" Chris announced. "It's challenge time! Hike out to opposite sides of the island, and find either Chander or myself. Eagles, west, Meerkats, east! Get to it!"

"I hope we get Chander," Kara said. "I still have some questions."

* * *

**Kara: **"The island rearranged earlier," she noted. "This normally doesn't phase me, but now I have no clue where Chander's hideout is." She sighed. "Looks like I'm following the wires again."

* * *

As the Meerkats made it out to their location, they saw a helicopter above them. Around them was a small lake, and above them was a long trek to the top of the island. Flora was the first to notice that something was wrong with their team. "Guys," she asked. "where did Ethan go?"

"Glad you asked," Chris's voice sounded from the speakers. "My team swap was incredibly funny, but unfortunately, both teams adapted to the switch. That's not fun at all. So, I swapped 'em back!"

"You don't mean-" Paul started, only to be interrupted by a scream. They all looked up, and watched as Max plummeted into the lake, his legs sticking out when he landed. "Of course."

Max popped out and walked out. "My alliances were broken!" he shouted and complained. "Evil doesn't work well in new places!"

"That sucks," the helicopter said. They all looked up, and watched as Chander slid down a rope, and landed in front of them. "Chris said I can't get a jet pack yet." He pointed up the trail. "See that path?" he asked them rhetorically, "go up it. There's an advantage if you make it up first."

"What's the advantage?" Angie demanded. "I want to know before I carry the purple gremlin all the way up."

Chander shook his head. "I can't tell ya. But, consider your advantage as of now to be not getting the challenge details from the cameo."

* * *

"Woo! Man, this is gonna be great!" The Eagles looked up to see someone glide down. Folding up a pair of wings, the cameo for the day took off his helmet. The man threw back his long hair, revealing the face of Chad. The Alpha looked around and counted. "Three, four, six... five Broski's," he said. "You seem to be missing a few birds."

"Max ran out on me," Luna huffed.

"I'm here." Everyone turned around to finally see Iris, looking very exhausted, demoralized, and out of focus. "Let's just...get this going." Luna's focus on Max suddenly shifted.

* * *

**Luna: **"Iris is weakened," she said. "It's a terrible time to try, but as long as she stays like that, I can easily knock her out whenever I want."

* * *

Chad nodded. "Wowzers, that was not the entrance I expected from you, bro." He grabbed a bag and tossed it at the Eagles. "I also fetched you broski's number eight. He's a bit taller now."

The bag in front of them squirmed, and eventually, Ethan popped out of the bag. "Worst switch ever," he said. He looked up at Chad. "We all know the persona's fake, so why do you insist on keeping it up?"

Chad leaned in. "Chris wants me to do it for ratings. Apologies, bro." He then looked up at all of them. "Aww yeah! Now, let's get this challenge briefing done!" He pointed at the top of the island. "All you broski's gotta do for a big fat advantage is climb waaaay up there. Y'all gucci with that?"

"How many of those words were actually in the dictionary?" Scarlett asked, already annoyed.

Kara began to walk upward. "That doesn't matter, we have the information we need. Let's move!" she said, the other Eagles following her, while Iris slowly walked behind them.

Ad everyone powered forward, Kara took the time to drop back to Iris's position. "You need to forget about Kayla," she said. "She wasn't doing well. It was the smartest choice." She gave her a closer look. "Is this because she failed with your own methods?"

Iris shook her head. "No. I already told you that you wouldn't understand." She struggled to keep speaking every time she spoke. "Just...just please leave me be." Kara nodded and continued to run ahead.

Iris let out another huff as Chad screamed and ran ahead of everyone. "C'mon, dudes! We gotta get aaaaallllllll the way up there!" Ethan let out a small grunt as he was passed.

* * *

**Ethan: **"Why did it have to be him?" he complained. "I've been trying my best to not let the competition get to me, but with him around..." he let out a sigh. "I'm alone and out of allies. Do I have another choice?"

* * *

The Meerkats were making good time, as Paul had been carrying Max on his back. The five of them came to a halt as the next thing in their path was a huge wall. "Well," Angie said, "I think I know how we get to the top."

Chander threw up a rope and began to climb. "This is the only obstacle left. Find a way up." He then ascended to the top of the wall, and took the rope with him.

"So...now what?" Jonathan asked. "We have no materials, and do we really think _he_ is going to make it up?" The lover boy pointed at Max, who was not really paying attention.

Angie pounded on the rock a few times. "My current idea is to cave it out, but it's gonna take forever."

"Why don't we just grapple up it?" Max suggested. "Evil doesn't cave out rock."

Paul began to fume, but Flora took a step forward. "Max, your input is appreciated, but it is apparent that we lack a grappling hook." Max then proceeded to pull out a grappling hook from his pocket. "Very well, I think we have a path."

* * *

**Max: **"It was a souvenir Luna left me. How kind of her to deposit it in my _evil_ hands!"

* * *

Luna began fiddling around her pockets as their group approached the huge wall for them to scale. "It should be here," she muttered. "There's no way that pest actually took it..."

"Max likes to take what he thinks is his," Scarlett offered the psychic. "Of course, couldn't you just teleport us up?" Her demeanor toward Luna at that moment was very condescending.

Luna shuffled around briefly, truly looking nervous. "You see..." she said quietly, "with the island rearranged, it would be...hazardous. As much as I want to win, the costs outweigh the benefits." As she spoke, she began to sound more confident in the words she was saying.

"Hey, slackers!" Ethan called out to the bickering duo, climbing up the wall with a vine substituting a rope. "You gonna climb or make us lose? I'd hate to be the reason we don't win." Seeing no other choice, Luna and Scarlett began to wait for their turn on the vine.

* * *

Chris and Chander waited at the top of the mountain with Chad standing next to them. "So...it's a fire theme?" Chad asked the new co-host. Chander nodded with a bit of excitement. "That's...pretty horrifying actually. I'm kinda glad I competed as little as I did." At that moment, a grappling hook clipped the edge of a rock. "Oh, someone's on their way up. Better get ready."

Paul was the first person to grapple himself up. "First?" He asked himself smugly. "That's useful."

No so much later, on the other side of the mountain, a hand grabbed the edge. Ethan pulled himself up to the top of the mountain. "How'd you guys make it up so effortlessly?" He asked, as Paul was tossing the grappling hook. "Oh."

Max was the next one up on the side for the Meerkats, while Luna was next for the Eagles. She gaped as she saw Max drop the grappling gun back down for the next person. "H-how did you get that?" she asked, afraid to see it in the super villain's hands.

"Child's play," Max said proudly. "You left it during our secret meeting, as a gift."

"Secret meeting, huh?" Kara asked, making it up next. She gave the two plotters a suspicious look. "Luna, I expect you to be transparent with the team."

"You expect too much," Luna answered her bluntly.

One by one, each team alternated in getting someone up. It didn't take too long before one of the Eagles noticed the pattern that was going to ensue. It came down to just Flora needing to get up on the Meerkats, as Iris pulled herself up to be the sixth Eagle on the mountain. "Quickly!" Scarlett insisted. "We have more people and they're on pace with us!"

By the time the final Eagle, Sky, made it up as fast as she could, it was too late. Flora made it up easily, as the other Meerkats had helped her up. "Looks like the Meerkats take the advantage for the next round!"

The Meerkats cheered as Sky gave an apologetic look to the team. "I'm sorry, I went up as fast as I could."

"Don't kill yourself over it," Shawn insisted. "the challenge wasn't in our favor. Max took a grappling hook from Luna and we only had a vine to climb up."

"Thanks," Sky said, giving a smile to Shawn, "that helps." The then paused for a second and turned her gaze in the psychic's direction. "Wait, why does she need a grappling gun?"

* * *

**Luna: **Her arms are covering her face as she let out a groan. "I've been feeling way too content on where I am in the game. I guess that smugness finally caught up to me." She gave the camera a nervous look. "That grappling gun is more important than you think."

**Scarlett:** "Luna is losing her touch," she noted. "It would be advantageous to strike now, but regardless of this challenge's outcome, I have already devised a better person on each team to eliminate."

* * *

Chris nodded over to Chad. "Why don't you give our winners the advantage?" he suggested, pointing the alpha in the direction of the box next to them.

Chad nodded, and with one swift blow, the box broke open. "Yeah, man!" he shouted as the box fell apart. When the dust cleared, the contents of the box were revealed to be four pairs of yellow boots. He picked them up and threw all of them in the general direction of the Meerkats. "Think fast, broskis!" he shouted as he launched each pair of boots. Paul grabbed one in each hand, Flora ducked as two pairs landed near her, and Max was hit by a pair.

Angie tilted her head. "Wanna tell us why our advantage is a putrid yellow puddle stomper?" She looked at the boots in disgust.

Chander, at that moment threw back a giant yellow tarp, to reveal the second half of their challenge. In front of everyone was a set of eight platforms. Behind the platforms was a screen that was currently dark. Around each of these eight platforms were geysers of fire, shooting off in every direction. Each platform seemed to be organized in a set with another one. "Did we need the blanket?" Chris asked his co-host.

Chander beamed under his creation. "It's all part of show business. I just made that reveal ten times more interesting."

"So, what is...that?" Jonathan asked, confused.

Chris pointed upwards. "You all are familiar with season three's dance competition. We've spun that around to fit our fiery and fierce competitors we have today!" As Chris said this, a few geysers pumped out extra fire, shocking a few of the contestants. "This time, we focus on more fighting, less dancing. However, your floors are still packed with electricity." At that moment, the screen behind the platforms lit up. "You will receive some sort of action to do each fight. Do it before your opponent without falling off, and you can dish them out a shock."

"That makes these helpful," Flora said hesitantly, quickly putting on a pair of boots.

Chris addressed the eight platforms. "As we wanted a standard tournament style bracket, only four on each team will fight choose your four, and send them up!"

The Meerkats looked around. "Well, this shouldn't be a hard choice," Angie said, "Max, you're out."

"Wait," Jonathan said, "if I get pitted against Sky, I don't think I could...you know..."

Paul shook his head. "I'd rather take that gamble then not have a chance at all. Max, you're out." Angie gave Paul a confused look.

* * *

**Angie: **"I find it interesting how much I'm agreeing with Paul. He's pretty much my bitter rival, yet our team ideals are so...similar. It doesn't make sense."

* * *

The Eagles had a bit more issues figuring out who did what. "Look, Shawn's a natural pick," Ethan mentioned, "and I could probably hold my own up there." He surveyed the team quickly. "Luna?"

Luna shook her head. "I'd rather not today. I have a feeling Chris might disqualify me, and I don't want to be a liability."

Scarlett nodded in agreement. "Likewise. I lack in physical prowess."

Sky stepped forward. "I could give it a go..."

Ethan gave the athlete a questioning look. "Your little friend is going. Do you really want to?" Sky nodded. "So be it. We still need one more. Iris, I'd normally pick you, but I don't think you're in a good mental state right now."

Kara shrugged. "Guess I'll have a go."

"No."

Everyone turned to see Iris, still with her head down. "Let me take care of this. I don't want to be at risk of losing."

* * *

As the eight participants stepped forward, the screen began to randomize them, when it stopped, the four pairings for the round one fight showed. On the far left showed the faces of Iris and Flora. Next to the right of them was Paul and Shawn. The right center of the screen had the pairing for Ethan and Angie, and The final pairing on the far right was Jonathan and Sky. "Just my luck," Jonathan said with a groan.

"Maybe Max would have been a better gamble," Angie muttered.

"Fighters!" Chris announced, "take your positions. Remember you are risking not only your faces, but your spot in the game!"

* * *

The platforms rose up a small amount from the ground. Iris was the furthest to the left, followed by Flora, her opponent, then, Paul and Shawn, Ethan and Angie, Jonathan, and Sky on the far right. Flora hesitated for a second, before dodging one of Iris's attacks. "Are you okay?" Flora asked. "You seem to be lacking in motivation."

"Just fine," Iris said solemnly. She took two more swings at the pacifist, who dodged out of the way at the last second. "Perhaps it would be wise to not interfere with me." Flora continued to struggle landing a hit on Iris, but Iris began swinging less.

"Do something!" Scarlett called from the side.

Shawn had ducked under another hit from Paul. "You're moves are so lifeless," he pointed out. "It's almost like I'm fighting a real zombie."

Paul tried to sweep with his leg, but Shawn grabbed onto it. "I guess I should be concerned about that," Paul said, trying to pull his leg back into a comfortable position. Eventually, with a hard tug, he tipped Shawn over and got his leg back. The zombie boy lost his grip, but stayed on the platform.

Angie threw a fist at Ethan, who caught hers in his hand. "You'll have to be smarter than that," he teased.

At that moment, Angie pulled her arm back, and Ethan flew near her. She ducked to try and flip him off, but Ethan managed to knock down her legs. After getting to their feet, both of them brushed themselves off. "Seems both of us will," she replied, thinking of a new strategy.

Jonathan hesitated to move."I-if you don't attack," Sky insisted, "they might vote you off." She too, hesitated to attack him.

The athlete took a defensive stance and didn't move. "If you're waiting for me to attack first," Jonathan said, "I don't think I will."

* * *

**Jonathan: **He sighed as he leaned his head against the confessional wall. "She's totally right, if I don't strike, I'm gone. How do I get out of this situation?"

* * *

Jonathan slowly raised a fist, his arm shaking with terror. As he was about to make a move, he was stopped at the action of the screen turning on. All fights paused as the screen lit up. "What's up, broskis?" Chad's voice narrated, "You all are about to take things to the next leveeeeel!" His voice increased in pitch immensely as he said the last word. "I'm gonna make you all stand on one foot. First one in each fight to drop their foot gets a wicked shock!" He gave a short chuckle. "Good luck, broskis."

Down on the bottom, the spectators watched. "Shawn has great balance," Lavender noted, "but it's gonna be rough for him to take out Paul at the same time."

"Our victory must be absolute in this challenge," Scarlett said. "No matter what it may take." She began to look around. "We should find something to distract the others. Kara, could you give us a hand?"

After a lack of a response, Luna let out a groan. "Kara's probably off looking for the idol. Smart of her..." She continued to watch the fights.

* * *

Kara dropped down into the chamber. "Finally," she said with relief. "Chander's up at the challenge site, and I'm down here to get a full rundown of this place." She began to observer the various structures around her.

She found something that had written on it, _Dance Floor Contraptions_. She pressed a button in front of her, and it turned on a monitor of the challenge going on above her. "I'm sure they could use a little bit of help," the curious girl said innocently.

* * *

Back above the ground, fire shot out right behind Angie. "Seriously?" she cried out, jumping forward, right in front of Ethan. Ethan took this opportunity to hit her from the side and knock her off the platform. Ethan's platform lowered to the ground, and he let out a sigh of relief as he put his foot down.

Chander observed the fire geyser carefully. "I didn't think they were on timers," he said to himself. He then looked down at the audience. Luna was carefully observing Iris, and Scarlett observed Lavender. Max was toying with some scrap metal on the ground, and Lavender was cheering Flora on. Someone was missing. He quickly rushed to the host. "Chris, I'll be right back. I think we had a breach."

"Meh," Chris said, as Chander ran down from their observing platform and slipped under the stage.

Shawn began to jump in the air, maintaining his balance. Eventually, he flew into the air and went for an air attack on Paul. Paul had caught his leg again, and this time, threw him off the platform. Shawn landed with a thud as Paul's platform lowered.

Flora continued dodging Iris's very infrequent attacks. "Are you going to snap out of this funk or not?" Luna yelled.

* * *

**Luna: **"I'm aware of what Iris is hurting from," she explained. "As much as I would like to exploit it immediately, I need to wait." She gave the camera a dark grin. "But, when the time comes, I will make her hurt so much she can't move..."

* * *

Iris looked down at Luna's glare. "Fine," she said. At that moment, she narrowed her eyes at Flora. The next thing she did brought gasps among everyone watching. She deliberately put her foot down, causing her to be shocked. "Just what I needed," she said darkly, using the adrenaline to overwhelm Flora with speed and power. Iris threw Flora off the platform, advancing her to the next round.

Flora looked up at Iris, who was breathing heavily as her platform lowered. "Someone help her," she said to herself. "She needs a friend."

Jonathan and Sky remained at a stalemate. "Something might happen if one of us doesn't move," she said. At that moment, a fire geyser shot out at Jonathan. The lover boy jumped forward in surprise, and accidentally knocked Sky over with him. Both of them fell off, but Sky hit the ground first.

After a few seconds, Jonathan came to his senses from falling, and realized he was on top of the athlete. He quickly jumped off. "Oh...I'm sorry. Are you hurt?"

Sky stood up and brushed herself off. "Not too badly. Thank you for caring. I don't think my team if going to be to happy with my result." She gave him a warm smile as Jonathan let out a groan.

* * *

"That's enough."

Kara turned around to see Chander. "This is the last time I'm warning you. Do not return to this place."

"Oh, come on," Kara said with a hint of sadness. "You can't expect me to know about this whole neat place and not allow myself to enter it! I just gotta see what's down here!"

Chander let out a sigh. "Fine. After the challenge, I'll let you shoot some fire. But you cannot mess with this while challenges happen, got it?"

Kara shrugged. "Yeah, sure, I guess."

* * *

**Kara: **"Not the outcome I wanted," she said. "But it's a little more than what I expected, so that's a win."

* * *

The second round appeared on the screen, and began to randomize the matches. "You're it for us, Paul," Angie told him. "Don't screw this up."

"Yeah, I'm on it," Paul said blankly. The second round finished showing on the board, with the left side being an all Eagle match between Sky and Iris. The right match was a face-off between Ethan and Paul.

As the platforms rose again, Iris narrowed her eyes at the athlete. "Woah, there," Sky said hesitantly, "we're on the same team. Why don't I just go on ahead to fight Paul?"

Iris shook her head. "You want to fight him, then you can earn it." She then proceeded not to move.

"What are you doing now?" Sky asked, very nervous about the paranoid girl's actions.

Iris simply looked up to the screen. "My win condition isn't here yet."

Meanwhile, Paul and Ethan were on level ground. "Give up," the pessimist insisted. "You know I'm stronger than you."

Ethan continued to fight him off, barely. "Not going down without a fight!"

As they continued to watch, Chander arrived back on the scene, and threw Kara with the rest of her team. "Where were you?" Scarlett asked, insistent on getting an answer.

Kara smiled at her sheepishly. "I actually can't tell you."

* * *

**Scarlett: **"The normal competitor assumes she found the idol and has hidden it in a spot she can access," she analyzed. "Luckily, my edge prohibits that mindset from existing."

* * *

After each group traded a few more blows, the screen lit up, and Chad's voice sounded again. "Yoooo, round two broskis, this one's a whopper and a doozy! Keep goin' at it, but you gotta jump off the ground at least once every five seconds, or that scary floor's gonna keep shocking ya!"

"Perfect," Paul said with a smirk. "That mean's the advantage is mine." He looked down at his rubber boots.

Sky jumped in the air and attempted a kick, but much to her surprise, Iris ducked, and waiting on the floor. After five seconds, she felt a jolt within her again, and she headbutted Sky as she was descending from her aerial kick. Sky flew off the platform and onto the ground.

* * *

**Sky:** "Iris sure is fierce today," she said observantly. Was it something Luna said?"

**Iris: **"Luna knows about my guilt...I shouldn't have any, but yet I do all the same. The best thing I can do right now is try and jolt it out of my memory." She then shrugged. "I guess it's helping me win too."

* * *

Ethan jumped up again, and with the same maneuver as before Paul grabbed Ethan's leg and swung him off the platform. He flew a bit before landing in front of his team. "Yeah, that leg swing's a doozy," Shawn said, tending to his own leg.

Ethan's eye twitched a bit. "Don't say that word. It's linked with...him." He looked up to Chad.

Shawn didn't pick up Ethan's idea. "Hm?"

"Chad was the start of my over-competitive issue," Ethan explained. "With my traditional anchors gone, I'm kinda losing it." He sighed. "I'll manage. Hopefully Iris pulls this out."

* * *

The platform raised to it's highest level, and Iris and Paul stood atop either side, Iris on the left, and Paul on the right. "Final round, champs!" Chad told them. "All ya gotta do is take out one more compadre!"

Iris began the duel with a defensive position, and Paul swung once with his left arm. It caused Iris enough knock back for her to observe below her. There was now lava below them...and it was rising.

Paul took note of the new obstacle as well. Iris continued to hold him off, denying any ability for him to get close. After a few blows, the lava reached one quarter of the way filled up, and without warning, the floor shocked both of them. Paul, protected by the boots, took a position to knock her off, as Iris jumped in the air. But, Paul, instead of going for the win, held back. It looked as if Iris expected it.

"You know I'm always looking for trouble like that," Iris said, still in the air. At that moment, she stuck out both legs at the same time. Paul grabbed one successfully, but Iris kicked him with the other one.

As Paul fell back, he held onto his grip of the paranoid girl's leg, causing both of them to fall off. With the push of a button, Chander removed the lava instantly, so both would fall safely. Eventually, one prevailed as they landed in a heap of dust.

Once the dust cleared, the winner was evident. Iris stood on top of Paul, eyes still narrowed at her opponent. "Looks like that settles it," Chris said. "With a sweeping victory, Iris takes the win for the Extreme Eagles!" The Eagles cheered, as the Meerkats looked around in defeat. As they began to wind down, Scarlett began looking at her chance.

* * *

**Scarlett: **"This game is in my court, more than anyone else's," she explained. "While I don't have any true allies, I am currently on my way to securing one, and the finishing touches should happen right about...now."

* * *

"You wanted to see me, Flora?" Lavender asked, stepping into the area as Scarlett left the confessional. The nature's child stopped as Scarlett approached her. "Oh," she said quietly. "It appeared Flora wanted to talk to me, so I was just on my way to-"

"Yuuki Miyamoto," Scarlett said with a hiss. The very words alone caused Lavender to take a few steps back, her one eye widening. She began to take bigger strides to run off, but that motion was stopped. "Don't try to run." Scarlett stepped up to her. "The very toddler who survived a murder is right before me, still as scared as ever." She let out a dark laugh. "What's wrong? Shocked? Of course I know how to dig. Your mother's case was one I studied with utmost scrutiny."

"That's not me," Lavender defended with shaking breaths. "I-I am not that girl anymore!"

Scarlett let out a chuckle. "Oh, but you are. I'm impressed, even Luna seems fooled by your confident facade. But I'm smarter than that. I know you're still scared."

"What do you want?" Lavender asked, still extremely hesitant.

Scarlett looked off behind her. "Flora actually will be here in about three minutes. You are to convince her to vote for Angie."

Lavender stepped back. "Why would I do that?" she asked.

"Because," Scarlett said. "Through this interaction, I know what you fear. I will make this place your nightmare if you do not follow my command. We saw what happened to Norm. Don't bother trying to quit, and Flora isn't crafty enough to save you." Lavender slowly nodded. "Good," Scarlett said darkly. "You may as well discard everyone else's opinion. Only mine matter now." Lavender nodded again silently as Scarlett walked off.

* * *

**Scarlett: **"That went well. I really wasn't expecting it to be that easy." She sighed. "Almost wasn't fun..."

**Lavender: **"I...will...not...let...her...win..." she said hesitantly. "But for now...I do what she says."

* * *

**Elimination 6**

The five remaining Meerkats all sat in the front, Flora on the far left, followed by Paul, Angie, Jonathan, and Max. The aura around them felt very tense. Max sat there smugly, as Jonathan looked down in shame. Angie appeared threatened, keeping her guard up, and Paul was trying to consult Flora. "That doesn't seem right," he told her. "I thought we were going to pick someone else. I kinda trusted you would," he added, rubbing the back of his neck.

Flora sighed. "Apologies, but the vote split was necessary. Not for my sake, but for someone else's." Paul nodded, understanding what she meant, generally.

Chris approached the Meerkats, holding four marshmallows. "You're not making this fun," Chris told them. "I don't want to have to merge too soon, but if you keep this up, what choice do I have?"

"Get to the vote," Angie said. "We're tired."

"Fine," Chris said. "You all majorly sucked today. Angie lost a fight, Jonathan didn't fight, and Flora tried not to fight. You guys know the goal was to win the fights today, right?" No one responded. "Okay then, here we go. Max and Paul, you two are safe."

Max's marshmallow hit him in the eye as Paul grabbed his with one hand, expressing his boredom. Angie began to look more suspiciously around the others, and Jonathan seemed to be accepting his fate. Flora was the only one who didn't react. "Angie." Chris tossed the marshmallow out to the hothead, who caught it, surprised at her position of staying in the game.

Chris looked at the bottom two. "Jonathan, you didn't try, and you still messed up that. That's gotta hurt. Flora, it's clear your strategies of peace are getting predictable." Flora shrugged. "Only one of you stays tonight, but right now, the loser is...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...Flora!" Flora gasped as Jonathan took the marshmallow, very shocked that he was staying.

Flora got up. "To the cannon then," she said.

Paul threw his arms up. "You're not surprised?" He asked. "I'm surprised."

Flora shook her head. "I saw this coming when my...instructions changed. I'm fine, though, really."

They all went off to the cannon, as Lavender approached her. "Hey..." she said. "I'm so sorry."

"We knew this would happen," she said, putting her hands on her shoulders. "I know you can stay strong." She then looked around to see if anyone else was looking, and then leaned in. "Oh and I have something that might help you out." She whispered something into Lavender's ear. "Good luck." With that she got in the cannon and was blasted off.

The four Meerkats looked at each other. "We can figure out what happened later," Angie said. "I'm going to bed." Everyone walked off except for Paul, who was still shocked to see his girlfriend leave.

Chris stepped in front of him to close off the episode. "Will Paul figure it all out?" he asked. "Is Scarlett going to get away with it, and is Lavender going to use her new information? Find out next time, on Total! Drama! Fiery Passion!

(END OF CHAPTER)

* * *

**Votes: Middle Meerkats**

**Angie: **As poorly as we all performed today, my vote has to be the biggest liability, Max. He will only slow us down. Although, I am confused as to why no one has spoken to me about the vote...oh no.

**Flora: **So this is it, then. Well, I was going to regretfully vote for Jonathan, as I hope he can learn a bit from this. But...Angie, I'm sorry.

**Jonathan: **Flora's my safest bet, she's the only one who did as close to as bad as I did.

**Max: **Per my sidekick's excellent suggestion, I shall eliminate Flora. Let the strong be eliminated by my hand! Muahahahaha!

**Paul: **Sorry Jonathan, but you're probably not gonna get that chance with Sky. Should've tried harder today.

**Total- Flora (2), Angie (1), Max (1), Jonathan (1)**

**Eliminated: Flora**

* * *

**Current Teams:**

**Extreme Eagles: **Ethan, Iris, Kara, Lavender, Luna, Scarlett, Shawn, Sky

**Middle Meerkats: **Angie, Jonathan, Max, Paul

Elimination Order:

19th (kind of)- Chander, The Spooky Prankster

18th- Sugar, The Pageant Queen

17th- Norm, The Antisocial Genius

16th- Jasmine, The Outback Amazon

15th- Marty, The Con Artist

14th- Kayla, The Brat

13th- Flora, The Pacifist

* * *

**Here it is, Flora's first official vote-off. She's quit the other two times, so by extreme plotting, Flora takes the fall. I wanted to keep her around, but her elimination was necessary to start two other arcs, one of which you've now seen.**

**So, we know Lavender's real name. By narration, I will continue to refer to her as Lavender, as will anyone else who is not exposed to the facts (aka everyone).**

**As a fun fact, I was very much considering a Lavender/Flora pairing toward the end of submerged, but with Paul still around, and no reasonable way to break them up without disrupting the timeline too bad, it was replaced with the whole Iris/Quaoar/Mag thing.**

**This is the first elimination of what I would call Part II of Fiery Passion, which will essentially be Lavender's arc. Kayla's elimination was the end of Part I, which set up some arcs for Part II. Not all characters have had a super prominent role yet, and those characters will start to become more involved in the game. **

**Updates are coming, I promise. But until then, review! I like seeing the feedback, and seeing the guesses!**

**So, is your favorite still here? Who do you think will take it all? Let me know in the reviews! Until then, I will see you next time!**


	8. Hot Talent

**Replies, all fresh and cooked.**

**Guest 1138- To clarify, Flora voting for Angie was so there wouldn't be enough votes on a singular person to save Flora. Nothing directly against Angie, just a strategic move. Also friendly reminder that some of these players perform better than others, once their teams are gone.**

**Sephiria Arks- I mispoke in one of my replies last chapter, this is the one where we really get to see Chander's workings. Think really hard about what's happening down there, it will help the merge chapter make more sense. As for Quaoar, well, look down.**

**Candela Monsoon- with the large amount of Karon contestants already here, there actually aren't enough who aren't competing to fill every cameo spot. That being said, you will likely see all of them, but there are a few I have chosen to not include.**

**Space Zodiac- Scarlett and Luna are very dangerous, yeah. Overall, I have not yet confirmed a season villain, so keep thinking about which of the two it could be, because it's only one of them. It'll become more and more obvious.**

**Ok, here we go.**

* * *

Episode 8: Hot Talent

Hi, still me. This episode contains a death. Not of a cast member, or anyone not already dead. It's a flashback. There are two in this chapter, it happens in the second one. If you don't want to watch that, it's all italicized. So, if you don't want to read that part...don't. Okay, have fun.

Chander was not in sight as Chris stood atop Pahkitew's dock. "Last time," he opened up, "on Total Drama Fiery Passion, we took a hike!" The opening clips were Luna fumbling around for her grappling gun, and Chad descending from the sky. "Chad led our reformed Eagle team, while Chander took on the Meerkats. What hurt both of them the most was that the team switch ended, sending both Ethan and Max back to their original places." The next clips were Chander coming down on a rope to the Meerkats, and Ethan pulling himself out of the bag. "After a refreshing hike where Luna acted weirder than normal, teams sent eight people up to duel down as much as they could." The next clips showed the battle platforms, and the giant screen that accompanied it. "Some strategies we saw were...safer than others." The next clips were Flora causally dodging attacks, as Iris put her foot down and jolted through the attack. "In the end, Iris's blunt and dangerous strategy cost it for the Meerkats, which sent...Flora home. How did this happen? Scarlett finally got to work." The final clips were of Scarlett confronting Lavender, and Flora getting eliminated. "I knew it was a great idea to bring her back!"

The scene returned to Chris on top of the dock. "We're down to twelve contestants. Who will rise up to today's tough standards? Which ex-contestant will come back to help? Which contestant will become an ex-contestant? Find out today, on Total! Drama! Fiery Passion!"

* * *

**Opening Sequence**

[Various cameras began to appear in a similar way to the other seasons. The first one appeared out of a lily pad, which seemed to be mechanically connected to the water. Next, one came out of a tree, which spit out some fire as the camera popped out. The final one fell on top of the outhouse confessional, and exploded into a burning flame. The camera then began to fly as the opening played.]

_Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doing fine,_

[The camera arrived at a waterfall, where Shawn poked his head out, to see Jasmine waiting for him. He waved a signal as she went in.]

_You guys are on my mind,_

[Next to the waterfall, Marty stares at them with a scowl on his face. He picks up a stick, smirks at the waterfall, and snaps the stick.]

_You asked me what I wanted to be, and I think the answer is plain to see_

[The camera flies over the waterfall, where Sky is doing Olympic style jumps. She lands one perfectly, much to Jonathan's amazement. Iris runs by and smacks Jonathan over the head. Ethan laughs in the back as Jonathan fumes.]

_I wanna be famous!_

[The camera flies to a clearly mechanical mountain, where Paul and Angie are intensely competing. Angie barely beats him up the hill, which angers Paul.]

_I wanna live close to the sun_

[Lavender and Flora smile at each other as they run off. A hand reaches out to stop one of them.]

_Go pack your bags, 'cause I've already won_

[Lavender turns her head to see Scarlett. The quiet brainiac signals for Lavender to follow her instead.]

_Everything to prove, nothing in my way,_ _I'll get there one day_

[As Sugar tries her hardest trying to build something, she laughs at her own brilliance. Meanwhile, Norm fakes a fall, knocking it over. He gives the pageant queen a sheepish but fake smile.]

_I wanna be famous_

[Paul and Angie are seen in a hot race again, this time Paul has the lead. He skids to a halt and trips her, causing her to fall.]

_Na na nanana na, nanana na, nananananana_

[Kayla kicks the ground, evidently bored, while her sister, Kara, investigates a pipe spitting out fire on the others side. A ball of fire shoots by and ignites another pipe, which causes Kara to look back. Chander is seen blowing out ignition fuel.]

_I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous!_

[Various other high ranking, non-competing contestants appear in silhouettes, as fire shoots out from behind them. Some have items like swords or heavy weights in their hand. Others are just standing there in a menacing fashion.]

_I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous!_

[The scene zooms into the fire, which changes to a traditional campfire.]

_*Whistling*_

[Luna stares at Max with a bright green glow, while Max offers her a contraption he made. The psychic fixes it with her mind, which causes the others to glare at her as they whistle.]

* * *

The sun rose up on the rickety tree fort, now only holding four Meerkats. Everyone was awake, moving around. "This stinks!" Paul complained. "Flora was so helpful to us winning! What happened?"

"You know what happened," Angie answered bitterly, carving on a stick out of boredom. "Your girlfriend voted for me. Wish I knew she would have done that before gunning for our team gremlin."

"Which, you _will_ pay for!" Max declared, getting in her face. This was answered by a death glare from Angie. "W-when you have the time," he added, much more peacefully.

"Look, I'm sorry," Jonathan told them, poking at some berries and leaves. "She was clearly my best option if I wanted to stay. I wonder what caused her to vote for Angie though. It wasn't like her to switch a vote last minute."

Paul grunted. "My money's on it has something to do with Luna. She's been messing around with everyone this season."

"Perhaps your thoughts are misplaced," Max assured him. "Luna has told me so kindly that Lavender has disappeared since the vote." He then bitterly added, "and occasionally Scarlett."

Angie put her stick down. "Well, that's our answer," she pointed out, picking up and tossing the stick down to the ground. "Scarlett."

"Flora insisted she reformed," Paul said. "I'd like to believe her."

Jonathan groaned. "Well, it's not like we can just go visit them and ask." Everyone was silent for a few seconds. "Wait, what's stopping us?"

* * *

The bunker, once again, was lacking in several personnel. Ethan had been hanging with Sky and Shawn, and Luna quietly meditated in the back of the bunker. "So, I've been seeing fire shoot out of trees at night," Shawn told the other two as they listened intently. "I thought it was a fire crawler, but I heard very real voices sound after it, a guy and a girl."

"Well, I have my suspicions," Sky said, eyeing Luna in the back, who did not notice her. "I miss having Lavender around here. Iris is a lost cause, and Scarlett, well, you know, but now Kara starts looking for that idol for ages now."

The three of them were startled by another voice. "You seriously think she's been looking for that idol?" Scarlett asked. "Even you?" she asked directly to Ethan. Sky and Shawn nodded, and Ethan shrugged. "This team is lacking in perception." She grabbed some berries and left the bunker. "I shall be back. I have important work."

As she left, a knock on the door was heard. "I'll get it," Sky told them. As she opened the door, she was startled to see the entirety of the Meerkat team, Jonathan up front. Luna quietly opened one eye as they began to speak. "Oh," Sky said nervously. "Hi, guys."

"Look, right to the point," Paul insisted. "We want to know what caused Flora to change her vote. We have a few key suspects, and all of them are on your team."

Angie pointed to Max. "This guy's vote confessional showed that Luna suggested Flora's release, but I don't think it's that simple."

"Max?" a voice called from in the bunker. At that moment, Luna ran up from her seated position and gave Max a big hug. "Oh, I missed you! How has the other team been? I know you were so used to things here..." Her light tone and actions caused everyone to back up for a second.

* * *

**Angie: **"...What was that?" She let out a laugh. "She can't be real, right? Maybe I overestimated her."

**Ethan: **"I like to know where everyone is," he insisted. "Helps me feel more confident in the game. But that? Yeah, didn't need to see that."

**Luna: **"My position in the game is a bit more precarious than I'd like," she explained. "Max helps me with that by throwing them off. So, I have...begrudgingly, decided to feign a relationship with him." She rolled her eyes. "Of course, he won't know it's fake. Ah, not my problem."

* * *

"...Okay then," Paul said. "besides...that, has anyone acted suspiciously lately?" He pointed inside the bunker. "I notice a few people are missing."

Sky nodded. "Iris has been gone basically since Kayla's elimination. Kara's claimed to have looked for the idol, but Scarlett thinks her motives are different. Speaking of Scarlett, she's been disappearing more often, and Lavender hasn't come back since Flora got the boot."

"Aha!" Angie said. "My hunch was right. Scarlett's probably manipulating Lavender." She turned to Paul. "That's how she convinced Flora to vote for me. Flora probably saw through it, but did it to keep Scarlett's suspicions down."

Paul scoffed. "At the cost of her own game? I doubt it."

The argument was interrupted by an announcement overhead. "Attention, losers and big losers- that's you guys, Meerkats. Please head up to the top of the mountain like you did last challenge. Time to bring in the real pain!

* * *

As the contestants made their way up, Scarlett put her hand on Lavender's shoulder, and pulled her back. "You are going to lose today's challenge," she explained. "It comes at the cost of you risking your game, but I have a specific person I'd like to make sure they do not go any further."

Lavender hesitated. "I-I'd prefer to not." She sighed. "I suppose my choice is limited. I really would like to avoid any more mental trauma from you."

Scarlett smiled. "That's the spirit."

* * *

**Lavender: **"I guess I've recovered a bit," she said, hands on her head in frustration. "But, with her controlling my every move, it's hard to pace that recovery."

* * *

All twelve contestants were gathered at the top of the mountain, the area they saw was completely transformed to a new environment. Instead of a fire floor and shocking platforms, the area seemed almost...normal. The floor was replaced with wood and the walls were filled with curtains. It certainly looked safe. Chris approached them all. "You guys look confused," he said. "Today's challenge is a talent show. You pick three people, and try and earn a maximum score of thirty per contestant. Highest score at the end wins."

Everyone was quiet for a second. "So, what's the catch?" Angie asked. "Are going to be doused with fire if we mess up?"

Chris shook his head. "All fire today will be metaphorical, bringing your hot fire talents...or, lack thereof."

"Are we going to be scorched for losing?" Iris asked. "I'm insistent on keeping my guard up."

Chris laughed. "That won't be happening, Iris. But, there is something today that might be of a burn for you."

"Oh no," Iris said nervously, as a helicopter approached over them. The door opened up, and someone took a dive out of the aircraft. His dark hair and fully black outfit eventually landed on the ground, and he sheathed his swords. "I should have known this was coming," she said with a sigh.

Ethan waved to his half-brother. "Yo," he said. Quaoar waved back. "Those new swords?" he asked. Quaoar nodded. "Neat."

Chris turned to the others. "Chander, Quaoar, and myself will be the judges for today. You have three hours to select three people to perform. I hope you're ready to bring it."

Everyone else walked off, but Iris stayed. Quaoar approached her. "I saw you mentioned her," he said bitterly. "Why is something so important to you able to be said on TV, but not to me?"

Iris shuffled back and forth, quite nervous. "That was not in my control. When Kayla left, it was like I failed her too. Again. It kind of...came out."

Quaoar turned around and began to walk off. "Well, I hope you're in control today, because I'm a judge, and I won't be biased." Iris nodded as he walked away.

* * *

The Meerkats gathered up. "Chris wants originality," Angie told her team. "As much as I hate to admit it, we need to put Max in today."

"I concur," Paul said. "Jonathan, how useful are you in this department?"

Jonathan stepped forward. "I'd actually like to try something, if you don't mind."

Angie watched his tone as he spoke, and after expressing some shock, immediately stepped forward. "He won't do anything like that," she insisted. "I don't have much I can do, but I won't blow it."

Jonathan gave her a scowl. "Come on, what's that supposed to mean?"

Paul stepped in to try and mitigate the argument. "I can see where she's coming from," he said. "If you do something for Sky, you will probably blow your chances."

Jonathan shrugged. "Hey, no worries, I'll find something else to do."

* * *

**Jonathan: **He laughed for a few seconds, then faced the camera blankly. "No, I won't."

* * *

Ethan was now looking at the rest of the team. "So...who wants to do something?" he asked blandly.

Scarlett stepped back. "My talents are likely not impressive enough for Chris, and not flashy enough for Chander or Quaoar. I'm out"

Luna also raised her hand. "Same here. I'm kinda out of ideas."

"Have you considered a big flashy show of whatever your psychic matter is?" Ethan asked her. "Hate to say it, but I'm sure you could pull something off."

Luna hesitated. "I'm afraid I cannot. You...you wouldn't understand." She sighed as she stepped away.

* * *

**Luna: **"My powers are at a standstill for the time being," she explained. "I feel Scarlett is on to me, but I can't let the others find out."

* * *

Lavender raised her hand. "I-I'll go," she said hesitantly.

Ethan looked over to her. "Okay, sure. Out of curiosity, what are you going to do?"

Lavender hesitated and began to shuffle for an answer. "Um...how about it's a surprise?" Ethan looked at her suspiciously for a second, then shrugged it off, allowing her to enter.

"Have you considered going?" Sky asked their leader.

Ethan shook his head. "Besides the fact that my only natural talent is winning, and I guess jumping high, but I'm pretty sure we shouldn't be that biased. With Quaoar being one of the judges and all, it might look bad if I go." He then turned to Iris. "On that note, I think you should."

Iris's eyes widened. "Me? While he's...no. I won't."

Ethan tilted his head. "What did happen between you two? Is it that bad?" Iris shook her head rapidly. Ethan nodded. "Oh, it's about that. My bad. But still, I think you might be able to impress him."

Iris sighed, as a flashback began to play.

* * *

"Thanks again for lunch, Mrs. Nelia," Quaoar said politely, speaking to an older woman with blonde hair who looked like Iris, but older. The two contestants were seen sitting on chairs at a table, in a relatively clean house.

"Oh, it's no problem, dear," Iris's mother answered. "I'm off to run some errands. You two behave, okay?" Quaoar nodded intently, while Iris rolled her eyes with embarrassment.

As she left, Quaoar's eyes wandered around the room. They eventually landed on a photo, with two parents in it, and two young girls, one with solid blonde hair, and one with blonde hair with one blue streak on the right side. The one with slightly colored hair looked older. "Who's that?" he asked his girlfriend.

Iris looked at the picture he was looking at. Immediately, she threw the salt shaker from the table, and knocked it down. "Irrelevant," she said. "Please...don't ask about it."

"Oh," Quaoar said. "I kinda figured it was your family and all, since that girl kinda looked like you. Sorry."

Iris sighed. "It was my family." She shuffled in her seat. "I hate talking about it, and, I really would appreciate if you didn't ask again."

Quaoar nodded, but was extremely skeptical. "Oh...okay."

* * *

Iris sighed. "Fine, I'll go, but only because I know you guys are too stupid to vote off Scarlett or Luna."

"Great," Ethan said. "One more. Sky? Shawn? Kara?" No one responded, but it took a few seconds but then they realized it. Kara was gone. Again. "Someone wanna go look for Kara?"

"I'll go," Scarlett offered. "I should pull my weight somehow today." She then got up and left to go find her.

* * *

"So..." Kara said, fiddling with a switch, "this one messes with the stage?" she asked, about to pull it.

Her hand was suddenly shoved away by Chander. "I told you to _not_ mess with this stuff! If Chris finds out you're down here under my permission, it'll be both our heads." He turned to a separate area, and after putting in a code, which Kara watched carefully, the door opened. Chander pulled out a glass jar, with several orbs of fire floating in it. "Check this out," he said, tossing her the jar. "They're safer."

Kara tapped on the glass, causing all the fire orbs to back off to the back of the jar in a scramble. "What is it?"

Chander pointed at the entrance to the control facility. "They're the fire spirits I guard down here with. What they actually are, are tiny robots, with very iridescent orange paint on them. It allows them to perfectly mimic a tiny ball of fire. It's almost like a fire power." Chander waved his arm, and they all emerged from the jar in Kara's hands, and proceeded to gather around Chander.

"Wow," Kara said in awe. "And they respond to you?"

"Motion controls," Chander answered. "Any sound or motion of your desire can be set to activate them. I prefer a simple arm wave, since it's flashy and quick. But I guess you could use, like a loud shriek or something. Wish I could do more testing."

Kara tilted her head in confusion. "Can you not?"

Chander motioned to the door where he found the fire robots. Kara peeked inside to see that several of the drones were in a corner. Kara tried to wave her arm to make them respond, but nothing happened. "I don't know how," Chander said, "but my motion sensors have been going missing. Lost a bunch of them the other day. So, to make sure I can still run challenges, I've had to deactivate some of my security." He let out a bitter sigh. "Thus, the reason you make it down here so easily."

Kara shook her head. "Let me help you find them. Someone probably stole them. Chris?"

Chander let out a laugh. "Chris could sleep through a tornado. There's no way he'd get up at night to purposely hinder my skills anyway." He then picked up what looked like a black sleeve. "This was found ripped up in my room. The thief isn't perfect."

"Black sleeve," Kara mused. She began to think of people on the island. "I know it's a long shot, since he only got here today, but what about Quaoar?"

Chander shook his head. "Not a chance. When I asked him, he evidently had no idea what I was talking about." He let out a groan. "Whoever it is, I hope they are found quickly. This could be very dangerous in the wrong hands."

* * *

Angie, Paul and Jonathan, were all sitting in a row, as Max stood in front of them. "Alright, purple man," Angie demanded, "amaze us."

Max pulled out a contraption that appeared to be a baseball bat of some sorts. "Witness the power of my evil!" he shouted, aiming the tip of the bat at a tree. The end of the bat then opened up, and revealed a glowing inside. The bat then shot out the smallest, most pathetic fireball of the season. When it fell to the ground, it dissolved in a green flame, different to the orange the fireball had been. Paul took note of this.

Max began to fiddle with the bat. "Huh, something must be jammed," he said innocently. He began messing with something on the grip, and eventually the bat did let off an impressive explosion...while it was in his face. Max coughed a few times, before falling over.

Jonathan nodded. "Hey, that works. Something innovative, no doubt Chander will like it."

Angie clapped her hands together. "Well, I suppose it's my turn to show you what I'll do today." She took a step back, and pulled a slingshot out of her pocket. "I've been saving this for a time when I need it," she said. She picked up a pebble, loaded it, and fired.

The pebble flew directly past Paul's head. "Do you have something you're good at?" he asked with a hint of rudeness. What he wasn't aware of was that the pebble bounded off a tree behind him, knocked down three cans above him, bounced off a few more trees, and hit him square in the chest. "Fine," he said bitterly. Then, one of the cans dropped on top of him. "Okay, I get it!" He looked at the rest of his team. "So, it's down to Angie's slingshot, Max's contraption, and...whatever Jonathan's doing."

Jonathan didn't budge. "It's a surprise. You don't get to know."

Angie put her hands up defensively. "Hey, you do whatever you want, just remember that all three of our acts have to kill it to win, and if yours is the reason we lose, well..."

"Yeah, I got that," Jonathan said.

* * *

Iris was sitting on the ground, moping. "You need help thinking of something?" Ethan asked, coming over to sit down with her.

Much to his surprise, Iris let him. "Yeah. I thought about what you said, and I wanna do something Quaoar will like, but I need help with something."

Shawn stood up and went over to them. "I think I know what you guys need," Shawn told them, "but you have to let me perform." Iris turned to him and nodded. "Great," he said confidently.

* * *

Kara was walking back to the team when she was stopped. "You'll eventually have to tell them where you're going," Scarlett said, causing Kara to pause in the middle of the path.

Kara turned to see Scarlett standing there, with her arms crossed. "I bet it was you," she said, "stealing Chander's stuff."

Scarlett shook her head. "I have no need to take anything from that buffoon. You are looking at the wrong person for that."

"I don't believe you," Kara told her. "And I will make sure I don't fall to your hand, thief!"

Scarlett laughed. "Believe what you will, but, if you really want to stay on my good side, there's one small thing I request." She whispered something to Kara.

The curious girl gasped. "Well, I'd rather it not be me..."

* * *

**Scarlett: **"Naturally," she explained, "I don't actually care if she tells the team I've been stealing tiny fire gadgets. Why? Because I can easily prove my innocence. Because I _am_ innocent. But, with her focusing on the wrong person, it allows me to hold more bonds with people than I could ask for, enough to ruin the person of my choice tonight."

* * *

The teams gathered back at the stage, where the non-competing teammates sat in bleachers. To the left was Paul, leaning back and covering two rows, sitting in boredom. On the right were the other Eagles, Ethan, Kara, and Luna in the back, while Scarlett and Sky sat in the front. "You do realize that your crush is undoubtedly going to cost his team the challenge today, right?" Scarlett asked Sky.

Sky shook her head nervously. "He would never do that, I'm sure he has...something planned."

Chris stood at the center of the stage. "Welcome, audience members. Allow us to reintroduce the judges before we begin! Starting off, it's me, who needs no other introduction!" The camera cut to the other two judges, while Chander hit a button on the remote, causing a small audio bit of applause. "Next up, this season's last-minute co-host, Chander!" Chander hit a different button on the remote, causing a louder applause, much to Chris's chagrin. "Finally," Chris said more dully, "today's cameo, Quaoar." Chander hit the second button again, causing the loud applause. "Yeah, we get it."

Chris sat back down in the judges seat. "Now, starting us off, it's the Meerkats, with Angie!"

* * *

The curtain opened up with Angie, standing alone. "This ought to be a riot," she said cockily. She flung out her slingshot, and aimed directly above Chris's head. After firing, the pebble clipped off a few pieces of the host's hair, but not enough for a noticeable difference. Next, it bounced off a few trees, and back onto the stage. From there, it bounced off a few pegs, through part of the curtain, and directly into Quaoar's glass of water he had on his bench.

Once the pebble landed, Paul stood up and clapped mockingly, being the only one to clap. "Bravo, our entire team out here loved it." He then paused. "Well, it's just me. Maybe half of us liked it."

Chander started off on the right. "Yeah, uh, I liked it, I guess. You did put a hole in my curtain though. I'll give you a seven, since I probably couldn't do that."

Chris fixed his hair. "Yeah, can't say I cared for the showmanship, but the technique was good. You can have a six."

Quaoar dumped his water on the ground. "Well, I was gonna drink that, guess I won't. But, it certainly caught my attention. Eight."

The scoreboard above the stage put the Meerkats at twenty-one. "Awesome work," Chris said. "Seems the judges were okay with it. Up next, the Eagle's first act, Shawn!"

* * *

Shawn stood confidently near the stage. "Today, I want to teach you a lesson of stealth. When you leave an area, you have no clue whether or not your home will get eaten away by zombies, so I am presenting a lesson today."

"I'm sleeping already," Paul groaned.

Shawn paced around the stage. "A zombie with any weapon is terrifying enough, but," he then proceeded to pull out Iris's sword Chris stole, "a zombie with a sword is just about as bad as you can get." Quaoar and Chander were snickering at the host. "Luckily, this sword will go to something a bit less scary than a zombie, Iris." He tossed the sword off-stage. "All yours!"

Chris sighed. "Well?"

Chander began again. "Well, I'd give it a perfect score, except I'm also kinda sorta supposed to guard that. So...eight." Shawn smiled at the score.

Chris groaned. "I, personally, did not care for your 'trick' at all. Three."

Quaoar smiled. "Well, considering it's _my_ sword Chris thinks he had the right to take, I cannot express my gratitude enough. Oh, wait, yes I can. Ten!"

The Eagles cheered, bringing it to a tied game at twenty-one points each.

Backstage, Jonathan looked nervous. "It might be tied, but that just boosted Iris's abilities by a long shot." He turned to Max. "You gonna be able to do this, purple man?"

Max picked up his baseball bat. "Evil doesn't 'able'. Evil succeeds in all situations!" The curtain opened up. "Wish me luck!" he demanded.

Jonathan shrugged. "Uh, yeah, go for it."

* * *

Max stood idly for a moment as the curtain opened up, and then whipped out the bat. "Attention, future subjugates!" he announced. "In my hand I have a weapon that can only be wielded by the most _evil_ people on Earth!" He pointed it out in the air. "This contraption as designed with only the most evil intentions, and I shall demonstrate them to you now!"

At that moment, Max pointed the bat out into the air. The end of it opened up like before, and a fire ball began to grow. Max, impressed that it was actually working, began to laugh, "Muahahahahahaaa-achoo!" only to have it be interrupted by a sneeze. Max ducked down to sneeze, and the bat pointed up in the air, releasing the fireball in its elevated state. Max began to look around. "Well, I'm sure it will come back soon," he insisted nervously.

At that moment, the fireball landed right on top of him, putting a giant hole in the stage, and causing Max to run around, flailing his arms. All three judges were laughing at what happened.

Chander looked up first. "Well, while it was entertaining, and certainly explosive, you also wrecked my stage. Fire's a delicate craft, bud. An 'evil' mind won't be enough. Eh...five." Max frowned at his score from the co-host.

Chris eventually stopped laughing and looked at Max. "You just delivered two of my favorite things: seeing a camper injured, and seeing Max injured. So, I'll give you a nine."

Quaoar shrugged. "Fire was funny, but the execution was still whack. Also, I personally find baseball bats lame. Five from me too." The Meerkats's scoreboard switched its numbers up to forty, reflecting the new score. "Okay, next we have..." Quaoar fiddled with his charts. "Uh, Lavender."

* * *

Lavender looked at the crowd. "Well, I guess most of you know what happened to me as a child already," she said, pointing to her flower over her eye. "But, I guess I'm pretty good at dodging because, so I got a volunteer to help me out with some things." At that moment, Scarlett walked up to the stage, holding a handful of objects.

Scarlett began throwing things at Lavender, who dodged a few of them, but allowed herself to be hit by some. "Dodge less!" Scarlett whispered to her. Lavender continued at her pace, but allowed a few more to hit. Eventually, Scarlett threw a large boulder at Lavender. "I said less!" said in a louder hush tone, hurling the boulder. Lavender's eyes widened, and she jumped out of the way with a dive onto the stage. Lavender kept sliding, and eventually slid off the stage.

The boulder continued to fly, and landed on the stage, putting in another giant hole.

* * *

**Chander: **"Seriously!" he griped, "I spent all night building that stage! Why don't they realize that I'm basically running this season myself!" He sighed. "Man, I gotta give Chef the credit though. This is a tough gig."

* * *

Chander groaned. "I hope the next two acts don't suck, or wreck my stage as much as that. Six." Lavender sighed, as Scarlett sat back down with a smirk.

Chris shook his head. "Didn't you make a finale? I guess...five?"

Quaoar shrugged. "Yeah, that stunk. Uh, five as well." The Eagles's score went up to thirty-seven. Quaoar looked over at Chander. "What's with the six?"

Chander leaned over. "Something about that performance didn't feel right. Only that last dodge felt genuine. But, she also broke my stage." Chander then turned to everyone else. "Oh no, another surprise act..." he sighed. "Jonathan, save us."

* * *

As the curtain opened up, Quaoar was on the stage, pushing a piano onto it. "This is gonna be too funny," Ethan said from the crowd.

Sky covered her face with her hands. "This is...certainly different," she said quietly.

Angie, now in the crowd with a slightly charred Max, hung her head. "Poisoned Love is really back at his old antics. Well, it was nice having him while he was useful."

As Quaoar finished pushing out the piano, he snickered and walked back to the judge's bench. "Alright," he said. "Let's hear it."

Jonathan walked out and saw some of the faces he was getting. "Kinda expected that," he said, as he sat down to the piano. "I didn't write this song," he opened up with, "and I sure didn't practice it enough, but I am going to play it for someone special here, and I think we all know who it is, because...well, I'm bad at keeping secrets."

Jonathan then began to play a song on the piano. His technique was pretty decent overall, and his singing was okay. As he played, one by one, the campers in the crowd stopped snickering, and began to pay attention. At the end of it, he turned to Sky. "So...yeah, I guess that's how I feel."

Sky was intensely blushing. "I mean...I'd have to think about it. You know, with last time and all, and...uh..."

Jonathan nodded. "Of course. Take all the time you need." He then paused. "Uh, well, not _all _the time. Preferably before one of us is eliminated." Sky giggled and nodded.

Chander cleared his throat. "I believe it's _our_ turn to speak," he said, referencing the judges table. "Listen, I'll be honest, you took us all by surprise. You get an eight from me."

Chris nodded. "I have to agree. After being as despicable as you always are, that was quite the shock. I'll hand you a nice nine, eh?" Jonathan smiled at the second high score.

Quaoar then turned to him. Jonathan appeared nervous about this one. "All of my memories are bad of you. But, for some reason, I was able to see sincerity in this. That makes me extremely mad, but, since it made me rethink a couple things, well, I'll give you a seven." The final score for the Meerkats of sixty four appeared on the screen.

"Not bad, Meerkats," Chris said. "Iris will have to deliver a near perfect performance for her team. Let's see what you can do!"

* * *

**Jonathan: **"Well, that was received a lot better than I had imagined."

**Ethan: **He sighed. "Well, I guess some people deserve another chance. I'll leave him alone this season, unless he poisons me again."

**Sky: **"W-wow," she said with a stammer, still red. "I-I don't know what to say."

**Paul: **"Jonathan achieved two things," he noted. "First, he gained my trust, and probably Angie's. Max is a wild card on that. But secondly, he may have just won us the challenge. I guess what Flora and I did actually helped."

* * *

The curtain opened to nothing but the two giant holes in in the floor. "Iris, you're on now," Chris said blankly. At that moment, a sword flew out of the right hole, and Iris jumped out of the left one. Right before the sword stabbed into the stage, Iris caught it by the handle.

"Good evening," she said confidently. "Get ready to be shown all the techniques I've honed over the past months!" She began to swirl the sword around, as two giant logs appeared from above her. With a spinning motion, she sliced through both of them simultaneously, breaking off covers for each of the hole in the stage."

Chander began to clap. "Bravo! Love it already!"

Iris continued to do a couple other techniques, when a robot appeared behind her. Without turning around, she switched to a back-handed grip, and made a very swift, sweeping arc through the robot, causing it to explode. As a few fragments fell, she sliced one in half before it hit the ground.

Chander began on his feedback. "Well, that was certainly entertaining, and you know how to keep an audience. I'll give it a nine!"

Chris shrugged. "Eh, didn't care for my robot being destroyed. Six."

Quaoar was still silent. "That last move..." he said, looking at the destroyed robot. "Was that a Back-Handed Arc Slash?" Iris nodded. "I thought you said it was 'stupid and lame'."

Iris gave him a smile. "It has its...niche applications."

Quaoar smiled. "Well, I'll give that a ten. Love seeing my techniques in action." The Eagles cheered as the scoreboard began to move, but stopped and groaned when it only reached fifty two. "Well, I gave you the highest score I could."

Chris stood up. "Well, that settles it. Eagles, you guys send someone home tonight. Meerkats win!"

The Meerkats began to cheer as Paul turned to Angie. "Hey, uh, agree to forget that Max and Jonathan carried us today?"

"Agreed," Angie said, looking at their other two teammates.

As everyone else left, Quaoar stopped Iris. "Hey, I've been thinking, and if you don't want to tell me anything, I'm totally open for it. You take all the time you need."

"Thanks," Iris said. "Uh, not now. I'm not ready to think about it yet." Quaoar nodded as a green helicopter flew over them. "Well, I guess this is it." With a hug, Quaoar left in the helicopter, and Iris began to walk back. Near her, Luna scoffed at the interaction.

* * *

**Luna: **"Iris is becoming stronger than I would like as of now," she said nervously, "and I can't take her out tonight, to stay allied with everyone. Luckily, I have a different plan. A better plan, too."

* * *

At the bottom of the tree fort, Jonathan began to climb. "Well, I guess we did well today," he said.

"My efforts were much more useful than yours!" Max shouted. "I was today's source of _evil_ success!"

"That you were," a voice said from behind the Meerkats. To everyone's shock, it was Luna, playfully running up to Max. "I'm _so_ proud of you today, you really did a great job!" She gave him a hug. "You're so lucky to be the life-blood of your team. Well, I gotta go. Elimination and all." She then skipped off, leaving the Meerkats disgusted.

* * *

**Angie: **"Right," she said, pretending to gag. "I forgot _that_ was happening."

**Max: **"It's about time my team recognizes my abilities!" He said. "And now that Luna is becoming a useful sidekick, I will soon have every area of this island under my control!" He laughed briefly, then returned to a neutral state. "I should make a map, so I know where everything is..."

* * *

**Elimination 7**

The eight remaining Eagles sat down at elimination, each holding a bit of resentment. Kara, Scarlett, Lavender, and Luna sat in the back, while Ethan, Shawn, Iris, and Sky sat up front. "You look nervous," Scarlett said to Lavender. "Don't be. As long as you voted with me, your safety is guaranteed."

Chris approached the bunch with seven marshmallows. "Welcome back, Eagles. Today, one of you goes in the cannon, and the rest of you still try and bounce back from this loss. Not going home, though, are Iris and Sky." Chris picked up two marshmallows and threw them to the girls. Iris caught hers blankly, while Sky grabbed it and smiled.

"Also safe, are Shawn and Luna." Shawn grabbed his with both hands and ate it, while Luna grabbed it and tossed it aside.

"Kara." Kara caught hers as Scarlett began to eye up Lavender, who was not reacting. Ethan began to suspiciously look around at the team. "Scarlett." Scarlett resumed a smile and caught her marshmallow.

Chris looked at the bottom two. "Lavender. You sucked today. Like, I'm not even sure I understood what your act was supposed to be. It was bad."

"I get it," Lavender said dully.

Chris looked at Ethan. "Ethan, not only did you allow Lavender to compete, but you also severely underestimated Jonathan."

Ethan tilted his head. "How does that affect anything with-"

Chris cut him off. "My turn. One of you leaves the island right now, and that person is...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...Ethan!" Lavender took her marshmallow as a few team members gasped. Scarlett smirked at Ethan behind him.

Ethan was shocked. "Wow, totally didn't see that coming. Well, I guess that's it, huh?"

* * *

As Ethan was shot out of the cannon, Lavender looked at Scarlett. "What was the point in that?" she asked.

"A test of loyalty," Scarlett answered blandly. "Also, he was a strong player. He was right, I did respect him. Unfortunately, that led to his downfall. Tragic."

As the rest of the team left, Luna rushed in front of Iris and stopped her. "Can I help you, Psycho-nut?" Iris asked.

Luna gave her a dark smile and reached for a part of her head. "Yeah, just don't move."

Before Iris had a chance to react, Luna grabbed onto Iris's head. "This feels stupid," she said. Eventually, she began to squirm. "Ugh, why am I remembering so much of- agh! It's like I'm reliving it!"

* * *

_"You'll protect me if that scary dog comes back, right?" a young girl asked an older one, latching onto her hand. The older girl was wearing a blue t-shirt and jeans, and had blonde hair with a single blue streak. Next to her, the younger one had almost identical clothing._

_The older one laughed. "Of course, Anna. Mom said so, right? So I gotta protect you." She held the hand of the girl tightly. _

_As they turned down a street, their walk was interrupted by the bark of a dog. "Iris! Iris! It's back!" Anna cried out._

_Iris let go of her sister's hand. "Stay back, Anna." The barking grew louder as it raced toward them. Iris picked up a stick, and tired to use it to push the dog back. To mild success she had gotten her and the dog into a lawn. What she didn't hear behind her was the loud honk of a horn and a crash._

_As the horn pressed hard from the car, the dog ran off. Iris turned around, and saw a car driving away in a hurry. Down below her, she saw something horrifying. "No, no, no!" She knelt down beside her sister, crying. "I should have kept my eye on you. I should have kept my guard up..."_

* * *

Iris stumbled back, and after a second, fainted on the ground. "Yikes, that was creepier than I was going for," Luna mused. "Eh, whatever. Guess she should have kept her guard up." At those last words, Iris twitched a bit, still lying on the ground.

Chris then approached the scene. "Well, that uh...happened. Is Luna going to rise to power? Is Lavender trapped? Who will end up prevailing? Find out next time, on Total! Drama! Fiery Passion!"

(END OF CHAPTER)

* * *

**Votes: Extreme Eagles**

**Ethan: **"Well, it seems pretty obvious. As much as I'd like to send Luna home, I can't guarantee that, so, sorry, Lavender."

**Iris: **"My suspicions for Luna are too high to overlook. Someone will see this and act on it."

**Kara: **"This is for my own safety. I'm sorry, Ethan."

**Lavender: **"Ethan..."

**Luna: **"Scarlett I hope your watching. Observe as I vote for your suggested person. You're welcome. Pay me back later."

**Scarlett: **"Ethan, you are a great player, and I mean that. That being said, enjoy the cannon."

**Shawn: **"I hate to do it, but Lavender really did mess up today. Sorry, girl."

**Sky: **"Lavender, I wish you could have done better today..."

**Total- Ethan (4), Lavender (3), Luna (1)**

**Eliminated: Ethan**

* * *

**Current Teams:**

**Extreme Eagles: **Iris, Kara, Lavender, Luna, Scarlett, Shawn, Sky

**Middle Meerkats: **Angie, Jonathan, Max, Paul

Elimination Order:

19th (kind of)- Chander, The Spooky Prankster

18th- Sugar, The Pageant Queen

17th- Norm, The Antisocial Genius

16th- Jasmine, The Outback Amazon

15th- Marty, The Con Artist

14th- Kayla, The Brat

13th- Flora, The Pacifist

12th- Ethan, The Anti-Villain

* * *

**Wow, what a chapter.**

**Before we go into anything big, let's talk challenge and elimination. Yeah, Ethan's time was pretty much up. I think it's becoming pretty clear who makes the merge at this point. Maybe not, I'm not so sure. The challenge was just Season 1's talent show with a reasonable scoring method. I didn't write a song for Jonathan, because, well, song writing is hard. Also, the move Iris used isn't a real move, and don't try it at home. You will hurt someone, probably.**

**Speaking of hurt, bit of a sad ending to this chapter. Iris's lost sister has been hinted at since Going Green in Submerged, but it's never been flat out said. And of course, that event was what caused her paranoia. Today was a real big Iris chapter, just to tie up her trust arc and start a new one, which I will determine a name for later.**

**Is that the biggest event of the season? No. The biggest reveal of the season comes at the merge chapter, and it will change how you look at a few characters. It will also confirm the main villain there, as I've been careful not to pin Luna or Scarlett (or Max lol) down as it yet.**

**So, did you like this chapter? Be sure to review, and I will see you all next time, where we find out the cameo criteria is a bit more lenient than we thought.**


	9. The Flaming Yawn

**Reply time!**

**Guest 1138- Yes, that was one of the lines! The other two were in Jonathan's conversation with Paul and Flora toward the beginning of the season.**

**Candela Monsoon- That was probably the darkest chapter. One elimination in particular (that is coming in a few episodes) will bring it to the lighter side, but for now, we are where we are.**

**Sephiria Arks- Chef's flight got cancelled, and well, it's hard to get a flight to a remote island where no one lives. But, he is still trying to get there. He might make in time for the end of the season. And, like normal, I will not reveal the merge chapter until it happens. You get to find out with all the contestants.**

**Space Zodiac- I reread Karon myself earlier, and...yikes. I'm not going to rewrite it until shuffled Karon, but it will be better than it is now, that's for sure. Submerged is definitely a better read. Like I said before, last chapter was probably the darkest one. **

**Alright, it's time for a real interesting challenge.**

* * *

Episode 9: The Flaming Yawn

Chris stood on Pahkitew's dock, which has seen no action except for the recaps. "Last time," he opened up, "on Total Drama Fiery Passion, we took things to the cooler side with a talent show!" The first clip was of Iris swinging the sword around. "Some talents were deadly, some were crafty, and some, were downright crappy." The three clips that appeared with those words were Max, Shawn, and Lavender. "Lavender was pressed against the wall to throw the challenge for Scarlett, who is keeping her under control to avoid being traumatized again. Speaking of trauma, Iris joined the fun too!" The next clip was Iris stammering back and fainting. "With Scarlett and Luna on the rise, who will overtake the other?"

Chris then looked at the camera again. "We're down to eleven determined campers. Which one of them can stop them all? And who will orchestrate the next one to fall? Find out right now on Total! Drama! Fiery Passion!"

* * *

**Opening Sequence**

[Various cameras began to appear in a similar way to the other seasons. The first one appeared out of a lily pad, which seemed to be mechanically connected to the water. Next, one came out of a tree, which spit out some fire as the camera popped out. The final one fell on top of the outhouse confessional, and exploded into a burning flame. The camera then began to fly as the opening played.]

_Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doing fine,_

[The camera arrived at a waterfall, where Shawn poked his head out, to see Jasmine waiting for him. He waved a signal as she went in.]

_You guys are on my mind,_

[Next to the waterfall, Marty stares at them with a scowl on his face. He picks up a stick, smirks at the waterfall, and snaps the stick.]

_You asked me what I wanted to be, and I think the answer is plain to see_

[The camera flies over the waterfall, where Sky is doing Olympic style jumps. She lands one perfectly, much to Jonathan's amazement. Iris runs by and smacks Jonathan over the head. Ethan laughs in the back as Jonathan fumes.]

_I wanna be famous!_

[The camera flies to a clearly mechanical mountain, where Paul and Angie are intensely competing. Angie barely beats him up the hill, which angers Paul.]

_I wanna live close to the sun_

[Lavender and Flora smile at each other as they run off. A hand reaches out to stop one of them.]

_Go pack your bags, 'cause I've already won_

[Lavender turns her head to see Scarlett. The quiet brainiac signals for Lavender to follow her instead.]

_Everything to prove, nothing in my way,_ _I'll get there one day_

[As Sugar tries her hardest trying to build something, she laughs at her own brilliance. Meanwhile, Norm fakes a fall, knocking it over. He gives the pageant queen a sheepish but fake smile.]

_I wanna be famous_

[Paul and Angie are seen in a hot race again, this time Paul has the lead. He skids to a halt and trips her, causing her to fall.]

_Na na nanana na, nanana na, nananananana_

[Kayla kicks the ground, evidently bored, while her sister, Kara, investigates a pipe spitting out fire on the others side. A ball of fire shoots by and ignites another pipe, which causes Kara to look back. Chander is seen blowing out ignition fuel.]

_I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous!_

[Various other high ranking, non-competing contestants appear in silhouettes, as fire shoots out from behind them. Some have items like swords or heavy weights in their hand. Others are just standing there in a menacing fashion.]

_I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous!_

[The scene zooms into the fire, which changes to a traditional campfire.]

_*Whistling*_

[Luna stares at Max with a bright green glow, while Max offers her a contraption he made. The psychic fixes it with her mind, which causes the others to glare at her as they whistle.]

* * *

The sun rose over the bunker, as Shawn entered with a bag of berries. He looked around to see that most of the seven on his team were absent. Scarlett was still missing, and so was Lavender. Luna was gone, likely with Max, and Iris was also now missing. It was only Kara and Sky left in the bunker. "Well, this officially stinks," Shawn told them. "Why does everyone here have to be a super bummer?"

Kara shrugged. "I don't know, but I feel like I'm on the wrong side of someone's advantage right now." She grabbed a few of the berries. "I mean, these people are either plotting or sulking out there, and the worst part is, we don't know who's doing what."

"Scarlett and Luna are plotting, that's for sure," Sky said. "But we need to figure out about Iris and Lavender."

Shawn tapped on his head a few times. "This may seem crazy, but I think Luna is controlling both of them."

"Not quite," Kara said. "I looked at the votes. I think I get what's going on."

* * *

The scene flashed, and Kara stood in front of the other two, with a giant chat. She pointed at a picture of Luna. "Luna's vote was to please Scarlett. That much we know. So, Luna is currently trying to get in her good graces for...whatever reason." She then pointed at a picture of Iris. "Iris knows Luna is a threat, and threw her vote at Luna, which is how the tiebreaker didn't happen." She then pointed at Lavender. "This is our wild card, but watching the talent show yesterday made me suspect that Scarlett's controlling her."

Sky cut her off. "So we know that Scarlett is the current threat, and that Luna is biding her time, but what about Iris? I know she hates interacting with us, but I haven't seen her at all, even at night."

Kara shrugged. "Beats me. I wouldn't look for her, though. She probably has a...decent reason." She turned to the chart. "Oh, yeah," she said, pulling out a lighter. She then lit the chart on fire, and it crumpled to the ground in front of them, completely unreadable. "There. Evidence, gone."

At that moment, the bunker door opened. The three Eagles looked over to see Luna walking in, singing a happy tune. "Good morning, teammates," she said too happily to not be suspicious.

Kara narrowed her eyes at the psychic. "Luna, perfect timing," she said coyly. "We've been looking for Iris. We're pretty worried that she hasn't returned yet. It's been some time."

Luna snickered to herself. "I haven't seen her. But, have you guys noticed that Scarlett also goes missing quite frequently? I think her and Lavender are plotting something." She faked a sigh. "I don't think I can orchestrate that elimination on my own. Care to help?"

"Well, where do _you_ go off to?" Sky asked, pointing at Luna.

"Me?" the psychic repeated. "I go and see Max. I hate seeing him having to fend for himself on that team of brutes. So sad."

* * *

**Luna:** "Max is now a consistent alibi for me," she bragged. "He's agreed, unknowingly, to let me use that as long as I continue my loyalty. I don't know why Scarlett would ever miss such an opportunity."

* * *

Shawn then stepped in. "Hold on, didn't you say in your vote confessional that you were agreeing to help Scarlett?"

"Of course," Luna answered. "I would much rather help her out and avoid elimination myself. It _is_ a game after all." She looked at the door. "We have a challenge coming, be ready." At those words, she walked out again.

Kara laughed once the door closed shut. "That was the lamest I've ever seen her. Almost makes you wonder what you can believe with her..."

* * *

Out in the woods, Scarlett was sitting down with Lavender. "You seem well today," Scarlett told her.

Lavender still hung her head down. "I guess I'm relieved I'm still here, but...at what cost?"

Scarlett shook her head. "Tell me, who do you think is the biggest threat right now?"

Lavender thought about it. Surely Scarlett and Luna were the biggest threats, but was it intelligent to actually respond with that? She gave it a go anyway. "...Luna."

Scarlett snickered. "Well, I can't expect you to know everything." She started to explain her rationales. "While that makes sense, you need to remember that we can rid of her at anytime. As long as we knock her out before the merge, we're fine."

"But we don't know when the merge is coming," Lavender said cautiously. "Also, how long do you intend to use me?"

Scarlett never really put that to thought. "Until I render you useless. But, since I could crush you mentally, and maybe physically, you might end up seeing your second finale." She looked out, trying to make sense of a shape in the distance as she continued talking. "You know, while I am using you, and that might be considered 'evil', I do truly need your help to get rid of Luna." She said the last line with sincerity, and then figured out the shape in the distance. "Iris? It's not like you to be out this far."

The figure in the distance stopped, and the head turned around. "Go away," she said with defeat. She then turned around again. "I won't tell the others about you two. It isn't worth it..."

Scarlett then got a very interesting idea. "Do you have any interest in helping us rid Luna? My intuition can only assume that she is the reason for your current state. You and Quaoar seemed to be on good terms."

Iris stood still for a second before answering, "...I'll think about it."

* * *

**Scarlett: **"I am currently in control of one of the strongest players, and one of the most likable. With their votes, I practically own this game." She paused and hung her head. "Why am I not satisfied yet?"

* * *

At that moment, the screech of the speaker cut them off. "Attention, losers! Get your butts over to the meeting area, and get ready to eat!"

Scarlett sighed. "An eating challenge this early? Ugh, I wasn't mentally prepared for that."

* * *

As the teams gathered at the meeting area, they were shocked to see two tables. The table on the left, painted purple, had seven chairs at it, and the table on the right painted gold, had four chairs. One each table was a large assortment of bottles, each having the labels evidently ripped off. "So...what's this?" Kara asked, inspecting the table by tapping on it a few times.

Chris gestured to the tables. "Have a seat," he told them with a hint of sharpness. "Before I start, and by start, I mean walk away, let me introduce to you today's cameo!"

"I hope it's Gretchen," Angie said. "I wonder how she's doing..."

"You're gonna get much worse than that klutz!" an off-screen voice said. Dropping from the sky, the contestants gasped at who they saw.

As the shadow was still settling, Shawn pointed his hand out. "No! But, but the Meerkats got rid of you!"

The dust eventually settled to reveal Marty, standing tall with anger at his former team. "Chris let me back to tap some rage into today's challenge. If you're building up rage now, great!" Scarlett was fuming a bit as the con artist spoke. "But, if you are acting all 'sulky' today, you're gonna have it rough." Iris let out a sigh on the end, which got her team's attention that she was present.

"Are you okay?" Sky asked, leaning over to her.

"No..." Iris responded solemnly. "We'll probably lose today. I'm sorry in advance for being worthless." As she spoke, Sky looked at her with a sad expression.

* * *

**Sky: **"What happened?" she asked with confusion. "Last challenge she was performing incredible sword combos, and today, well, she seems so sad..."

* * *

Marty picked up one of the bottles from each table. "You each have seven bottles of spice to try and eat with your dishes. The dishes themselves are actually normal." He then dug in his pocket for a card as Chander pushed out a table of bagged meals with logos of a cow on them. "Uh, brought to you by Darwin's Food Safari," he read, squinting at the small text, "proud partner of Total Drama. Yeah."

Chander pointed at the meals. "Eagles, one on each meal, no one skips out. Meerkats, three of you have to eat two meals."

Angie turned to her team. "Max? I think you're on one."

"Don't push it," Jonathan said. "I'm not a fan of eating challenges."

* * *

**Jonathan: **"The more I try and force meals down, the more I think about that challenge I poisoned Ethan." He sighed. "It doesn't matter how much I justified it in the past, it was wrong. But, I'd like to avoid thinking about that."

* * *

Paul put his hand out to cease any further conversation. "Fine, Max you're doing two."

Chander put out his hand. "Ready...set...go!"

All seven Eagles reached out and grabbed a bottle, and began to dump it on a meal. "Did you say that the bottles increased in spice?" Kara asked, sniffing one of the bottles and coughing a few times.

Marty laughed. "Might've forgotten that. Oh well."

"Look, we don't have time to figure that out," Scarlett protested. She began eating her meal. "Let's, ugh, get this done." Each of the Eagles began eating as fast as they could.

Kara ate another piece of chicken and looked up. "Hey, Marty, what did that card say, about the Safari? Did it say the name of this season? We never learned it."

Marty shook his head. "Can't tell ya that, but I can tell ya that you'll hate it."

Over at the Meerkats' table, Jonathan began to eat. "Ugh, this whole meal feels like poison..."

Angie was nearly halfway done her meal already. "Easy, piano man, we need you at full force. You can't hinder the others here." As threw another piece of chicken in her mouth. "This really the best you got?"

Marty inspected her bottle. "No...it isn't. You got the mildest one."

Paul coughed a few times from the spice of his meal. "Then, ugh, who got the worst one?"

Their question was answered by a scream, and a small emission of flame from their shortest teammate. "Why must you plague me so?" Max lamented. "Evil demands you to relent!" He took another bite, and screamed again.

The teams began to eat until a Meerkat slammed their hands down. "Done!" Angie said. "That was nothing!"

"I finished too!" Shawn called out.

Marty shook his head. "You finish as a team. Like I care, but Chris does."

Paul moved Max's second meal over to Angie. "Number three, have fun." Angie gave the pessimist a scowl as she ate her food.

On the side of the Eagles, everyone was finishing up. "This challenge was naturally in our favor," Scarlett mentioned, finishing her last piece of food carefully. "We have more time to eat everything." Much to her surprise, she heard a voice from the other side first.

"Yes!" We did it!" Angie cheered.

Marty checked the table. "That's a winning team there. Meerkats win advantage."

"Advantage?" Lavender asked nervously.

Marty nodded. "You get to pick one member from the losing team to help you out on the next challenge. No, I'm not telling you what it is."

The Meerkats looked at each other. "We can't guarantee that Luna is going to help us," Paul said. "We need someone well-rounded who I'm absolutely certain will help us." Angie smirked at him, showing understanding, while Jonathan and Max stood there confused. "We pick Sky."

"Me?" the athlete asked. "Well...okay."

Chander escorted her over. "I'd suggest helping them. You don't go back to the Eagles until after the elimination ceremony." Sky nodded as she went over.

Jonathan was still surprised at this decision. "Oh...you're here."

Sky blushed a bit. "I suppose. I'll help you win, I promise."

Marty laughed at them. "Oh, how I envy to not be you. Oh wait, I'm not you." He grabbed some pillows from behind him. To stick with the fiery theme of this season, we had you all eat some flaming hot food. Now, you put that to the test by testing your stamina. Who has the prowess to stay awake longer than anyone else?"

"Easy," Shawn said. "I've gone weeks without sleeping before."

Marty then pulled out another bag of Safari food. "Yeah...those bags were laced with sleeping powder. You all are going to be exhausted in a few hours."

Jonathan looked at his team blankly. "I told you they tasted like poison."

"Easy, spider man," Angie told him. "We just need to find a way to outdo Shawn, and it's in the bag."

* * *

**Angie: **"I'm incredibly concerned about this whole, 'awake thing'," she said nervously to the outhouse. "I guess it's a numbers thing, and we don't have 'em. Sky helps a bit, but not enough. Hopefully, I can talk strategy with some of the Eagles before they fall though. I kinda want to start working on my endgame strategy."

* * *

The teams gathered again in the meeting area. "You guys are free to move about, but don't exit anything guarded by the fire," Chander said, hitting a button. From what they others could see, in the distance, there was a giant pillar of fire, that began to expand around everyone. "Leave that ring and your out of the challenge, not to mention very burnt."

Lavender looked over to Scarlett and asked quietly, "how well would you like me to perform?"

Scarlett hesitated, having not gave it thought. "Oh, well...just do what you can. It doesn't matter whether or not we win."

* * *

**Scarlett: **"Well, Lavender seems to be very ready to help me out," she noted. "I wonder if her avoiding mental trauma is as important to her as she leads on." She then paused. "But, I'm still not content. Perhaps Iris is willing to be as useful as Lavender, ugh, but even then..."

* * *

Luna leaned back on a log. "Well, I can't wait to watch you all lose to us," she taunted the Meerkats. "It's simple logic."

"Don't get cocky," Kara warned. "You've been a little to content. Gives us a reason to vote you off if we lose." Scarlett raised an eyebrow at the curious twin's remark.

* * *

The beginning of the challenge went well for everyone. Everyone had found something relatively interesting enough to stay awake. Paul, Angie, and Jonathan had managed to pass the time by simply arguing. Max and Luna had gone off somewhere to discuss matters, while Lavender and Scarlett had done the same. In the center, where teams began, Iris simply did not move, sulking in the middle. Shawn had relocated to a tree, while Sky and Kara looked over at Iris, trying to figure her out. Kara sighed. "Something serious had to happen," she said. "It simply doesn't add up any other way."

"I think someone did something to her," Sky said, angry. "My money's on Luna or Scarlett." At that moment, Iris let off another sigh, and got up, walking into the woods. "Oh, I think she heard us..."

Kara shook her head. "Why don't you head back over to the Meerkats, before they start looking at you suspiciously. I'd hate for you to go while we can't save you." Sky nodded and went over.

In the woods, Lavender was sitting with Scarlett. "Surely you think Luna has something planned," Lavender said. "That's what I think. So, we need to amass as many votes as we can to get rid of her now, before we lose potential allies."

Scarlett smiled. "I adore that you are trying to help, but leave the strategic plays to me. Luna can be eliminated whenever I want. We need to take out other threats sooner, as in before the merge, which could happen any day now." She pondered briefly on the state of her team. "Shawn."

"What?" Lavender asked, "I get he's a good player, but I don't see enough benefits to doing that. Luna could be equally as dangerous in the merge."

"But not dangerous enough," Scarlett said. "She can't possibly hope to gain any trust after what she did to Iris. Word will get out sooner or later."

Almost on cue, the two looked over, and saw Iris coming to see them. "It was her," she said solemnly. "She brought up...her." Lavender seemed perplexed, but Scarlett showed full understanding, and twitched a little.

* * *

**Scarlett: **"Of course I knew about Anna," she explained. "Actually, I read about her while digging up dirt on everyone. Of course I figured that it would be an easy manipulation...but it still seemed wrong." She paused. "Wait...why did it?"

* * *

Lavender let out a yawn. "Well, it's clear that we want Luna gone," she told her solemn teammate, "but Scarlett insists that we can do that anytime." Scarlett nodded as Iris let out a sigh.

"It's simply too advantageous. But, we must discuss out next course of action. I think-" her plans were quickly halted when she let out a giant yawn. At that moment, something came from behind Scarlett and dropped white powder on her. Instantly, she was out.

Lavender got up and took a few steps back. "Oh no...that's bad."

"Hahaha! I've bested you!" Max shouted jumping out. "Allow me to introduce my newest invention...the sleep bomb!"

Iris walked over to him, and Max instinctively cried out in fright. "Hit me with that," she said blankly. "Now."

Max hesitated, and then shrugged. "No reason not to give in to a victory." He then blasted Iris with the same powder.

* * *

**Iris:** "Whatever it takes," she said in an exhausted tone, right before she fell asleep.

* * *

Chris walked over to Paul, Angie, Sky, Jonathan, and Kara, the only ones who were still in the center. "It has come to my attention that two Eagles are out. Meerkats have the lead." Jonathan and Sky high-fived each other, while Angie smiled, and Paul groaned.

"This is going to be tedious," the pessimist complained. "I'm out of here." He then went off to take a walk.

Once Paul was out of sight, Angie perked up. She proceeded to get up and slowly go off in his path. "There's no way he _isn't_ up to something," she said, and proceeded to go off in his direction.

Once Angie left, Kara began to look around at her surroundings. "So...where are we..." she asked, trying to get a good glimpse of the area around her. Once she figured it out, she also perked up. "It's within the boundary..." she said to herself, getting up and leaving in the opposite direction of the other two.

That left Jonathan and Sky alone in the center. "So..." Sky said awkwardly. "When did you learn to play piano?"

Jonathan smiled. "In between Submerged and now. I wanted to earlier, but I figured that I wouldn't need to." He sighed. "Besides, going into that second season, all I had in my mind was outlasting Ethan." He laughed. "Now I've finally done it, and it's not nearly as satisfying as I imagined."

"Because of all the dangerous people here?" Sky asked.

Jonathan sighed. "Well, that, and I realized how stupid I was that first season." He looked Sky right in the eye. "I poisoned someone, with no remorse. Worse than that, I never apologized."

Sky put a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe he'll come back," she offered. "I mean, we got stuck with Marty."

"Hey!" the con artist said, playing cards with Chander.

Jonathan laughed. "I am glad to have dodged him. I suppose there's a chance he sees that at least." He smiled at Sky. "I'm just glad I had someone to talk to."

Sky laughed. "Don't worry about it. Besides, everyone else really left quickly."

Chander then poked his head up. "Wait, everyone else left?" he asked. He surveyed the area to find that the four of them were the only ones present. "Marty," he said, putting down his cards. "I'll be back."

"Eh, you know I'm gonna look at them," he told Chander as the co-host scurried off.

* * *

Paul eventually looked up in a tree, and saw Shawn. "Mind if I climb up?" he asked the conspiracy nut.

"Are you bitten?" Shawn asked. "What's your favorite food?"

Paul was taken aback by the question. "Uh...pork?"

Shawn smiled. "You're good. Come up." Paul effortlessly climbed the tree. "So, whatcha need?" he asked Paul.

"I need an alliance," Paul said. "Everyone keeps talking about the merge, and I'm not ready to go into that yet. I'm sure, with being a finalist and all, you're in danger too." Shawn nodded. "So...yeah. Whatcha say?"

Shawn nodded. "Fine, but not until the merge hits, got it?" Paul nodded. They shook hands. "Now, drop down. I don't want anyone seeing this." Paul nodded and dropped down to the ground, and ran off.

As he left, Angie emerged from a bush. "I knew it!" she said. She then let out a yawn. "Oh man, I think I'm going down." At that moment, she collapsed in the bush.

* * *

Kara dropped down into the fire room again, and began prodding. "Surely the thief had to have left a trace..." she muttered. She thought about the things Chander had told her.

_"This was found ripped up in my room. The thief isn't perfect."_

"Black sleeve," Kara muttered. "No one here wears black." She looked over and saw the sleeve sitting on a table. She walked over and picked it up, feeling it around. She quickly noticed that the sleeve was not actually black. "Oh no..." Kara said in fright.

The lights then turned on to her again, holding the sleeve tightly. "I understand that you're 'eager', or whatever," Chander said with annoyance, "but you aren't actually _allowed_ down here."

Kara held up the sleeve. "Chander! This sleeve, it's not actually black, it's-"

"Burnt," the spooky prankster finished. "Yeah, I know. I'm trying to reverse the damage, but whoever this thief was is smarter than we thought. They purposely burned it."

Kara sighed. "I'm sorry, it's just, whoever has this is getting an advantage!"

Chander nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Thing is, this has been a problem all season, and I haven't noticed anything strange. So...whoever has it isn't utilizing it."

"But there has to be a motive!" Kara claimed. "No one would take it for fun!"

Chander shrugged. "I don't know, I think not getting burned to a crisp as much is a pretty okay motive." He motioned to the door. "Look, I appreciate that you're trying to help, but I'm giving up on this. Best you could do is look for someone with a ripped sleeve. I'll work on trying to reverse this singed part we have."

Kara nodded. "Great, and you'll tell me once you have a color?"

"No."

"Oh," Kara said with a frown. "Well, fine, I'll go see if anyone has a ripped sleeve..." she yawned. "Right after..." Kara didn't finish her sentence as she passed out on the ground.

Chander groaned. "Well, I can't leave her in _here_..."

* * *

Max walked back over to Luna. "I've taken out two of the members for you."

"Great," Luna said. "Any word on what Scarlett's planning behind my back?"

"How should I know?" Max asked innocently. "I didn't have time to hear who she was electing to vote off instead of you."

Luna raised an eyebrow. "So...I was a topic of hostility?"

Max nodded. "She had the other girl with her too...Irene?"

Luna sighed. "Give me your powder gun," she said. Max effortlessly handed it over. "I need to drop suspicion of myself before she can recruit anyone else. No hard feelings." She then shot Max with the powder gun, which made him fall asleep instantly.

She paused. "I suppose I should try and report this acquisition to someone else," she said, holding the gun. "Nah, we're winning." She walked off smugly.

* * *

Chris went to the center to announce again. "Meerkats lost another, it's tied at three left for each team." He then looked around, and saw that Jonathan and Sky were the only ones in earshot, but both were busy talking to each other. "Oh, it's just you two. That's boring." He looked at Marty. "You know what to do, Bring them in."

Marty snickered. "On it." He pushed a remote button next to him, and the fire boundary around them began to contract.

"So you really thought Paul would just vote with you for that?" Sky asked with a giggle.

Jonathan turned red. "I didn't expect it to come off as desperate. To think I would have made it further had that not happened."

"Do you regret going all out then?" she asked. "It seems that you feel you could have done it."

Jonathan nodded. "For sure. I would have been in a much better position if I did what I'm doing now. Try and help people, for a fair trade." He looked over at Marty, then lowered to a whisper so he couldn't be heard by him. "Marty was the reason I wanted to do that. The way he acted toward Paul, Angie, and especially Jasmine...it was bad."

Sky looked at him. "When you faced off against me...in the fire temple...I was scared, you know," she said. "I heard the things you did, but I can see you really moved passed that." She smiled at him. "I think..." she paused. "No, more time," she quickly finished.

Jonathan nodded. "As long as you need. I won't change my mind." What caught their attention was the fire rushing toward them. "Well, good thing we're in the center," he said lightly. Sky nodded in agreement.

At that moment, Luna, Lavender, Paul, and Shawn all came running in. "That was insane!" Shawn exclaimed. "It takes a guy a few minutes to get down from a tree!"

"Ask me when I care," Marty said. "Where's Chander?"

"Not important," Chris said. "What is important is that you six are left, and my patience is expiring. So, let's finish this off. Luna, the gun." Chris held out his hand to Luna, who begrudgingly gave over the gun.

"Didn't Max have that?" Lavender asked hesitantly.

"And then I took it," Luna snapped back. "Get over it."

Chris held up three more. "Max was dumb enough to leave the blueprints around, so I had Chander build a few more of these. You six will have to face off to blast each other until one team is left."

Luna looked at her exiled teammate. "Sky, don't shoot us, if you know what's good for you." She looked right at the gymnast as Lavender and Shawn exchanged hesitant looks.

Chris dumped six powder guns in the center, as the six of them gathered around the edge. "Aaaand...go!" At once, the six of them darted forward, but only five reached the center. Lavender had elected to strategically hold back from the inevitable bloodbath in the middle. Unfortunately, that led to her demise as Jonathan grabbed the second gun and fired it at the nature child. Lavender instantly fell asleep.

"Boom!" Jonathan cheered, but his victory was short-lived, as the gun that would have been Lavender's disintegrated. "Aww, that stinks."

Luna began to fire clumps at Sky, who had been dodging all of them. "Don't even _think_ about firing back," she hissed.

"Oh, I'm thinking about it," Sky countered, dodging another one. "I'm just not going to do it." She then ducked under another clump, which in the chaos, ended up hitting Shawn. As Shawn fell asleep, his gun disintegrated as well. "Oops," she said innocently. Luna raged and charged at the athlete, who was able to dodge a few more hits, but eventually got put up against a wall, which allowed Luna to hit her point-blank. Sky dropped to the ground, and Luna turned around to face Jonathan and Paul.

Luna, on instinct, shot Jonathan and put him to sleep. She then turned to Paul and aimed. "Any last words?" she asked menacingly.

"Yeah," Paul said. "Have you considered an alliance at the merge?" he asked. "It could benefit the both of us." Luna ignored the question, and fired right at him. Paul too fired the instant she did, and neither had time to dodge. "So this is how we finish it..." Paul said with a yawn. He and Luna stood across from each other, and awaited the other person to drop. It only came for one person. To Paul's surprise, it was Luna who dropped first.

"That does it!" Chris announced. "The Meerkats win this one!" As Chris announced it, the fire dissolved into the air, and the rest of the team began to wake up. "You guys dodge another elimination. Sky, you are also safe." Sky turned to Jonathan and gave him a smile as she headed back over to her team. "Eagles, it's time to send someone home."

* * *

Lavender was once again with Scarlett in the woods. "You know well I don't care if you leave, but you have to guess Luna has it out for you. You're as good as done if you don't do anything else!" Lavender protested.

Scarlett put her hands up. "Relax. I have a backup plan," she said. Lavender gave her a confused look. "If you're so worried, I guess I can trust you." She pulled out the sole-vote idol and showed it to Lavender. "If Luna tries to eliminate me, or possibly you, if it benefits me," she explained. "She will face retribution. It's as simple as that."

Lavender was shocked to see the idol. "Well, why did you show me?" Lavender asked. "I'm just some dumb pawn." She let out a deep sigh.

Scarlett shook her head. "You are more than that," Scarlett said. "You are my key to victory. No one else can so easily gain the trust of the others like you can." Lavender was taken aback by the compliment. Scarlett then cleared her throat. "As I was saying, stick to the plan. Don't bother with worrying about me."

"O-okay," Lavender said, as she walked off.

* * *

**Lavender: **"So Flora was right," she said, looking down from the camera in the confessional. "I believed Flora, but I didn't think Scarlett would trust me with that information." She confidently looked up. "Now, it's my turn."

* * *

Angie waited for Paul as he approached the tree fort. "So...trying to buddy up with the Eagles before the merge?" she asked hostility. "I thought our team was beyond that."

Paul shook his head. "We're not, 'beyond that'. It's simple knowledge that everyone needs an ally on the other side. Max has Luna, and Jonathan has Sky. If we're not careful, we go first." He began to climb the ladder. "Something to think about."

"Wait," Angie said, halting Paul in his climb. "Do you think...we should ally?"

Paul laughed. "If you think you had a choice to not ally with me, you're mistaken." He continued his ascent as Angie let out a gasp and fumed a bit.

* * *

**Elimination 8**

The seven remaining Eagles, Sky now joining them, sat at the benches, awaiting their fate. The tension in the team was evident, as Iris was sitting far from everyone, only allowing Lavender to be one seat away. Meanwhile, Kara, Sky, and Shawn awaited their answers in the back, as Scarlett sat next to Lavender, with Luna on the other side. Chris approached them, only six marshmallows on the plate. "I'm excited for this one," Chris said. "The votes were _all _over the place, and I can't wait to see how that went. C'mon, it's like no one even tried to amass votes!" At those words, Lavender cast a glance at Scarlett, who wasn't responding.

Chris held up the first marshmallow. "Well, let's settle this one now. Sky, you have instant immunity." He tossed the athlete her marshmallow, who was very bored as she caught it. "Lavender, you're also safe." He tossed Lavender the safety symbol, who was also not surprised at the result.

"Kara and Iris, you two are safe." Kara caught hers with excitement, and Iris let the marshmallow hit her, as she appeared to be unfazed by the rest of the world around her.

Luna and Scarlett glared at each other, as Shawn began to get a bit uneasy. Chris announced the next safe player. "_Luna_". Luna caught hers with her hands, and crushed it, then tossed it aside. Scarlett simply shrugged off Luna's mocking look, as Shawn began to look concerned. "Scarlett," Chris said, "The truth behind your reform is in question, and we know how that can go. Shawn, you're a giant threat. You won a season, unlike Scarlett."

"I'd prefer if you didn't rub it in," the brainiac said bitterly.

Chris held up the final marshmallow. "Tonight, I get to feed one of you to the cannon, and that person is...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...Shawn!" Kara gasped, and Lavender hung her head. Scarlett smiled at her success, and Iris didn't react at all.

"What?" Shawn asked, clearly confused. "I get that I'm a threat, but I'm still a huge help!" He looked directly at Luna, who he realized was just as confused as he was.

* * *

**Luna: **"Something went wrong," she said. "I thought people didn't trust Scarlett...ah, that won't matter. I have a better plan."

* * *

Shawn popped out of the end of the cannon, ready to go. "Man, it's weird being on this end of it," he said. "I hope this is the only time I do this." Chris pushed the button, and Shawn flew out of the cannon.

As everyone began to walk back, Kara noticed Luna going off in a different direction. She proceeded to follow her. After a long trek, she eventually stopped when Luna arrived at the Meerkat fort. She jumped behind a bush at the sound of Luna's voice. "Max!" the psychic called, summoning the purple-haired man from the fort.

"What is it?" he asked. "Evil needs his sleep!"

Luna looked at him and rolled her eyes. "What happened? Any intel on why Shawn left?"

Max nodded. "It was the doing of our arch-nemesis, Scarlett!"

"Figures," Luna said bitterly. "Look, I need all the help I can get. I cannot afford to lose another challenge. We have to convince Iris, which means I'll have to mess with her again. She's halted on improving relations with others, but she's not under our control yet."

Max shrugged. "What should I do? I can't do anything."

Luna put out her hand. "The grapple gun. Give it back." Max shrugged and handed it over. "Good. Now, we need more of the 'stuff', if we want to guarantee victory. I ran out a few days ago, and I've gone mad trying to find more." She threw a dark purple cloak over her usual outfit. "I'm off. Do _not_ speak of this interaction." Max nodded as he climbed back up.

Kara watched as Luna began to walk back toward the challenge site. She looked around a few seconds, then, continued walking. "Gotta patch that up before it's too late," she muttered to herself, looking at the sleeve of the cloak. Kara gasped as she saw the tear in the cloak, and began to run off. "Hey! Who's there!" Luna shouted. Kara had made it out of Luna's field of vision. "Eh, probably one of those dumb animals."

"Oooh, that's fun!" Chris said, the shot zooming out to the control room with a bunch of video cameras. "Will Luna be caught? Who's gonna drop next? And more importantly? Who's going to fix Iris? Find out next time on Total! Drama! Fiery Passion!

(END OF CHAPTER)

* * *

**Votes: Extreme Eagles**

**Iris: **"...Whatever it takes, Luna."

**Kara: **"I don't know, this is so hard...ugh, I guess I'll go with Luna."

**Lavender: **"My apologies, Shawn..."

**Luna: **"Scarlett, your time has come. Oh, this will be great!"

**Scarlett: **"Shawn, this was your own doing. Don't stick out as much next time."

**Shawn: **"I have to go with Scarlett. Sorry, girl, but you're nuts."

**Sky: **"I'm sorry Shawn, but Lavender brought up an excellent point."

**Total- Shawn (3), Scarlett (2), Luna (2)**

**Eliminated: Shawn**

* * *

**Current Teams:**

**Extreme Eagles: **Iris, Kara, Lavender, Luna, Scarlett, Sky

**Middle Meerkats: **Angie, Jonathan, Max, Paul

Elimination Order:

19th (kind of)- Chander, The Spooky Prankster

18th- Sugar, The Pageant Queen

17th- Norm, The Antisocial Genius

16th- Jasmine, The Outback Amazon

15th- Marty, The Con Artist

14th- Kayla, The Brat

13th- Flora, The Pacifist

12th- Ethan, The Anti-Villain

11th- Shawn, The Zombie Conspiracy Nut

* * *

**There goes our third Pahkitew contestant. Shawn was really fun to write, especially since he was one of the light members of the Eagles, especially now that Lavender and Iris are out of that mix. But, that basically led him to losing. Yikes, gotta play dirty.**

**Anyway, today's challenge was based off of the Submerged eating challenge and the Awake-a-thon. Of course, since Marty won that challenge I had him as today's cameo. I'm really excited for the next cameo. It's a Karon contestant I have a bunch of fun writing. Shame they won't be there that long.**

**We're getting close the merge...not really. Still a couple chapters out. After the first merge challenge, Fiery Passion will enter its Part 3 section. It's right after a giant chapter, so it only makes sense that we start to put new plot points in after a bunch wrap up.**

**So, how did you like Shawn? Who's going next? Let me know what you think in the reviews, and I'll see you next time!**


	10. Florist Fire

**Replies, not on fire.**

**Sephiria Arks- Today's cameo is one I enjoyed writing, but didn't actually do too well when they played. They're also not here that long. You might be on to something about Scarlett, though. Luckily, I actually answer that here...I think.**

**Guest 1138- Luna might be the thief, but that isn't the big reveal that you should be looking for clues for. It's two chapters away, and no one's gotten close...**

**Candela Monsoon- Allies don't always guarantee an elimination. But, sometimes they do, seeing what Ethan managed in Karon. Luna and Kara won't engage in each other's business too much this episode, but it could be coming soon.**

**Time for the story, which...might be on fire.**

* * *

Episode 10: Florist Fire

The island looked very different today. The traditional ground was replaced with what looked like a lush rain forest, with the ground hardly visible. On the dock, Chris prepared to start the episode. "Last time, on Total Drama Fiery Passion," he opened, "we put the spice all the way up, thanks to our episode's cameo, Marty!" The first clips were Jonathan struggling to get down the food, and everyone groaning at Marty's arrival. "The Meerkats, despite being against odds, took the advantage, and stole Sky for the rest of the day. Sky and Jonathan kept each other awake until the duel. What duel? After forcing themselves to stay awake after getting pumped with sleeping powder, these guys dueled it out with powder guns. Thanks, Max." The next clips were of Sky walking over to the Meerkat team, Luna pumping Max with the powder gun, and Lavender being shot by Jonathan. "The time they weren't dueling led to many people involving in schemes, plots, and makeshift cots." The next clips were Paul and Shawn talking, Lavender trying to figure out what Scarlett was after, and Shawn tying himself to the tree. "In the end, Paul's plan for the merge was shanghai'd when Scarlett took it upon herself to eliminate Shawn, without the cost of her idol, which Lavender now knows about."

The scene cut back to Chris on the dock, prepping the cannon for the day. "With ten left, we near the end. Who's gonna make it? Who's gonna drop down today? What new schemes will our schemers scheme? Find out today, on Total! Drama! Fiery Passion!"

* * *

**Opening Sequence**

[Various cameras began to appear in a similar way to the other seasons. The first one appeared out of a lily pad, which seemed to be mechanically connected to the water. Next, one came out of a tree, which spit out some fire as the camera popped out. The final one fell on top of the outhouse confessional, and exploded into a burning flame. The camera then began to fly as the opening played.]

_Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doing fine,_

[The camera arrived at a waterfall, where Shawn poked his head out, to see Jasmine waiting for him. He waved a signal as she went in.]

_You guys are on my mind,_

[Next to the waterfall, Marty stares at them with a scowl on his face. He picks up a stick, smirks at the waterfall, and snaps the stick.]

_You asked me what I wanted to be, and I think the answer is plain to see_

[The camera flies over the waterfall, where Sky is doing Olympic style jumps. She lands one perfectly, much to Jonathan's amazement. Iris runs by and smacks Jonathan over the head. Ethan laughs in the back as Jonathan fumes.]

_I wanna be famous!_

[The camera flies to a clearly mechanical mountain, where Paul and Angie are intensely competing. Angie barely beats him up the hill, which angers Paul.]

_I wanna live close to the sun_

[Lavender and Flora smile at each other as they run off. A hand reaches out to stop one of them.]

_Go pack your bags, 'cause I've already won_

[Lavender turns her head to see Scarlett. The quiet brainiac signals for Lavender to follow her instead.]

_Everything to prove, nothing in my way,_ _I'll get there one day_

[As Sugar tries her hardest trying to build something, she laughs at her own brilliance. Meanwhile, Norm fakes a fall, knocking it over. He gives the pageant queen a sheepish but fake smile.]

_I wanna be famous_

[Paul and Angie are seen in a hot race again, this time Paul has the lead. He skids to a halt and trips her, causing her to fall.]

_Na na nanana na, nanana na, nananananana_

[Kayla kicks the ground, evidently bored, while her sister, Kara, investigates a pipe spitting out fire on the others side. A ball of fire shoots by and ignites another pipe, which causes Kara to look back. Chander is seen blowing out ignition fuel.]

_I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous!_

[Various other high ranking, non-competing contestants appear in silhouettes, as fire shoots out from behind them. Some have items like swords or heavy weights in their hand. Others are just standing there in a menacing fashion.]

_I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous!_

[The scene zooms into the fire, which changes to a traditional campfire.]

_*Whistling*_

[Luna stares at Max with a bright green glow, while Max offers her a contraption he made. The psychic fixes it with her mind, which causes the others to glare at her as they whistle.]

* * *

The episode opened up in Chander's control room, where the co-host was busy messing around on a keypad. "Seriously?" he asked on a phone. "Look, I need three metric tons of tomato soup by Friday, or we're gonna have issues!" He paused for a second as the other line responded to him. "Yeah, deliver it at night again... You sure?" He let out a grin. "Perfect. I'll have the payment once you get here." He put down the phone and leaned back in his chair for a brief second. "Man, this is exhausting work."

"Chander!" The spooky prankster let out a shriek, as he fell down with the chair. When his eyes focused, he met face-to-face with Kara, who had a rather eager look on her face. "I found it!" she exclaimed. "I have the answer."

Chander groaned as he got up. "Look, just because you're helping doesn't mean you can come down whenever you want! I have work to do!"

"Clearly," the curious twin responded. "The entire island looks like a rain forest! We can hardly move, much less see the ground!" She paused. "Is this to throw me off? Because I'm close to guessing the theme of the season?"

Chander rolled his eyes. "First of all, if you haven't guessed the season's theme, you ought to rethink how you've made it this far. Second of all, I worked very hard on making this island look good."

Kara shook her head. "Regardless, I have your culprit. It's Luna."

Chander stared blankly for a second. "...no."

"What?" Kara asked. "But, I saw her! She had a cloak, and it was torn!"

"It could have belonged to someone else," Chander said. "Looking at motives, Luna has the _least_ amount of reasons to take them. She already has powers."

Kara pondered for a second. "All the reason to be able to get away with it. She could be pawning them to someone else. She could be preparing to-"

"Enough!" Chander said. "Chris is gonna announce the challenge soon, so you need to go back to the bunker. I'm sure the team has noticed that you're gone."

Kara shrugged. "Eh, they're never there either."

* * *

The bunker was indeed as empty as predicted. Luna, as expected was gone, along with Lavender and Scarlett. Interestingly enough, Sky was also gone. The only one in the bunker was Iris, who blankly stared at a wall as everything happened around her. The door opened, and Kara came back in. "Just you in here?" she asked nonchalantly. She watched as Iris didn't move, but let out a small grunt. Kara inspected the paranoid girl. "Have you eaten yet?" Iris shook her head. "Here, there's some breakfast left. You should really eat." She slid a plate to Iris, who still didn't move.

Kara got some breakfast and sat down herself. "So..." she opened up, waiting for any response from Iris. "Uh, so I guess Scarlett and Lavender are missing, huh?"

Iris shocked Kara by responding. "Lavender is also a captive of the mind. However, I have more hope for her than I do myself."

"Right," Kara said nervously. "Wait, captive of the mind? Did Luna do this to you?" Iris nodded. "Well, I'm on your side. I want her gone, and we are going to work toward making that happen." Iris cracked a smile. "But, you need to snap out of this. Any longer and you might be on the chopping block yourself." Iris didn't respond again. "Man, I wish Sky was here to help me with this," she muttered. "She's always with Jonathan nowadays."

This line caused Iris's eye to twitch, and she shook her head a few times. "Wait, Sky went _where_?" Her tone of voice and volume sounded normal to Iris again.

"Yeah, the two have been hitting it off," Kara explained. "Have you not noticed?"

Iris blinked a few times. "The last thing I remember was the buffoon humiliating himself at the talent show. Something actually happened there?" Kara nodded. "Great," Iris muttered. "This team is full of liars and cheaters, and the instant we bash Luna's head into that cannon, we take out Sky next."

Kara shrugged. "Yeah...maybe we thing about something else. But I'm all with you for getting Luna out." She got up. "Well, I'm off to investigate...I mean, take a walk."

She got up to leave, when she was halted. "Kara," Iris said, causing the twin to turn around. "Um...thanks."

* * *

**Kara: **"I think that's the longest I've ever actually spoken to Iris," she said. "I guess the fact that she has no choice but to focus snapped her out of it pretty well."

**Iris: **"Of course now that Luna's hindered me, I hardly have any recollection of the past few days. This is gonna be rough..."

* * *

Up at the tree fort, Angie woke up to the sunlight. "Yuck, when are we gonna have a nice cloudy day?" she asked herself. She walked a few feet to encounter Paul standing at the window in shock. "What is it?" she asked.

Paul gestured outside. "Get a load of this," he said. Angie looked out to see that the island had turned into a rain forest. "We gotta be ready for whatever comes at us," he said.

The two walked into the main part of the tree fort, to only be met by Jonathan and Sky talking to each other. "Okay," Angie said bitterly, "I wasn't ready for that." She walked over to the two of them and let out an unpleasant sigh. "Sky," Angie said as nicely as she was able to muster, "We would like to borrow Jonathan for a...uh...strategy meeting."

Sky nodded. "Of course. I didn't mean to intrude too much. Our bunker has been very...unpleasant, recently." Paul raised an eyebrow as she got up. "Oh, but I probably said too much. Bye!" With that she slid down the ladder and began to walk back to the bunker.

Jonathan turned to them. "Okay, I get it," he told them. "Team first. Look, I know you don't actually have a strategy meeting planned."

Paul shrugged. "Change of plans then. The Eagles are low morale." He looked at the other three members. "We have no choice but to capitalize on that."

"How do you insist that happens?" Angie asked. "None of us are exactly social monsters."

They were about to suggest something when Max spoke up first. "What if we were to not speak to them at all, putting them in an _evil_ pit of confusion?"

Everyone exchanged glaces around the room, and most of them were quite surprised. "Well," Angie said, "I'm certainly not opposed to the idea. Besides, if we were to not speak to them at all, it might mess up the people trying to get on good sides with us. It gives all of us an advantage in the future." Beside her Paul begrudgingly agreed.

* * *

**Paul: **"It also messes us up if we want to team with an Eagle later," he griped. "But, if everyone's messed up, then I guess no one is."

* * *

Lavender looked around after some time. "I guess Iris isn't joining us," she admitted, a bit dejected. "She's a vote we need."

"Wrong," Scarlett said. "Though, thanks for trying. With six people left, we need three to force a tie. Tonight, we target Sky."

Lavender hesitated. "Um, I was thinking, I don't want to vote out another one of my friends." She looked pleadingly at Scarlett, who was taken aback by the suggestion.

Eventually, the brainiac gave in. "Fine, we'll see how the challenge goes. If we lose, though, we still go after Sky. How's that for a bargain?" Lavender nodded. "Good, it would have been foolish to reject that offer."

* * *

**Scarlett: **"I don't comprehend this one bit," she confessed. "Somehow, after all I did to put her in that state, she's able to read me still. I can tell she can see through it." She shook her head. "No, I need to keep doing this. This is how Luna pays."

**Lavender: **"Today," she said, "I'm going to make a play that will be the first strategic play I've made." She let out a sigh. "Too bad it won't help anyone but myself. Maybe it well help Scarlett."

* * *

"What do you think the challenge is?" Lavender asked, still hesitant.

Scarlett thought about it. "Whatever it is, we need to be prepared to face fire. Other than that, I couldn't tell you."

Almost right on cue, the announcement came overhead. "Attention, fresh meat! Time to get yourselves to the meeting area, if you can find it."

Lavender was perplexed by the last part of that. "You think Chris did this rain forest on purpose?" she asked her controller.

Scarlett let out of small chuckle. "Of course he did."

* * *

Everyone eventually found their way to the meeting area, which was now a small grotto in the middle of the rain forest. "Greetings, remaining ten," Chris said to them. "You ready for a fun and safe challenge?"

"Not entirely," Iris said with her usual snark. Everyone turned to her, in shock how much she bounced back. Luna in particular seemed a bit angry at the fact. Everyone was stopped when they were each passed out a small metal shield.

Sky poked at her shield, confirming it was actual metal. "Uhh, what are these for?"

"You'll find out later," Chris instructed. "I want to bring this challenge explanation to today's cameo, Hannah!" Angie let out a groan as the social media freak dropped from the sky, parachuting down with precision.

Eventually, the girl landed and took off a helmet. "Wow," she said with excitement. "I got soooo many great pictures of the rain forest from above! It's gonna get so many likes!" She paused. "What island is this anyway?"

Chris smiled. "Pahkitew Island."

Hannah's jaw dropped. "Wait, so...they aren't real trees?" Chris nodded. "So, I didn't get a picture of the rain forest, just a bunch of metal?"

Chris nodded again. "Explain the challenge."

Hannah let out a few grunts. "Well, if you guys are in the mood for nature, today is apparently _not_ your day," she said. She pointed to the screen, and six dots appeared on the map. "Today, Chander has lit six flowers on fire, three for each team. These are a super rare type of flower that only grows at night in certain months."

"So, they're endangered, and Chander lit six of them on fire?" Lavender asked with extreme concern. Hannah nodded energetically. Lavender simply let out a sigh as Hannah continued.

"Not only are they endangered," Hannah added, "but also invasive, hostile, and worst of all, carnivorous. You need to work as a team to take down these flowers."

"Well then, we personally thank you for the shields," Luna said hastily.

Kara looked around. "So what's up with the whole rain forest gig?" she asked the photo girl, who was starting to lose focus.

"Huh? Oh, I don't know, something about taking over the area around it. Surely it's safe." She grabbed a rope from above her. "Okay bye!" Almost instantly after finishing her statement, she jumped into the sky, disappearing into the helicopter.

Chander walked out and grumbled. "Ugh, just, start," he told them. Everyone began to run off.

* * *

The Eagles first arrived at the entrance to a very dense area of the rain forest. "Well, this stinks," Iris said, trying to pry through the vines.

Scarlett smirked as she looked at her team. "Surely _Luna_ could teleport herself in, and cut out from the back. That would be the safest option."

Sky shook her head. "I don't want to cheat like that. We have to find a better way." But it was too late. After hearing some slashes from the inside, a hole opened up, making it easy for the Eagles to approach the flower. "Fine," she said.

Everyone started to go in, while Scarlett stood there, very surprised. "What's wrong?" Luna taunted. "Didn't expect something like that out of me?"

* * *

**Scarlett: **"How?" she asked. "I was under the impression that I had her figured out, but it seems she has caught me off guard." She shook her head in disappointment, then paused for a second. "Oh, unless..."

**Luna: **"Cheating?" she let out a laugh. "It's not cheating, it's using my natural abilities. As if these people will ever figure me out."

* * *

As the Eagles ventured further, the area around them got darker. "Well, this stinks," Iris repeated, putting her shield in front of her. "We need to think carefully when we vanquish this thing."

The six of them stopped when a fireball came flying as them. "What was that?" Sky asked frantically.

"It's the flower," Lavender said, going in the fireball's source direction. "We have no choice but to follow it. Shields up!" The six girls grabbed their shields and ran forward. After trekking a bit, they stopped at a very lit area, with a flower glowing in fire. "How tragic," Lavender lamented.

Iris got the shield and held it up as the flower spit fire in her direction. "Well, no use trying to spare it. Put that fire out, and kill it."

"How exactly do we do that?" Kara asked. "It will try and hit us the instant we put our shields down!"

"I get where she's going with this," Scarlett predicted. "We smother it. Using the shield to block oxygen, we can simultaneously ."

Iris nodded. "Two points for the psycho. Let's get it!" The six of them surrounded the flower, and held their shields out in front of them. The flower shot fire at Luna first, but she dodged it, letting the other five go in for it. They each managed to get the shields down, but in a last effort to live, the flower released a big cloud of fire around it. The shields held intact until eventually the flower stopped retaliating.

The six of them were breathing heavily as they watched the flower lie motionless now. "Well, that's one," Lavender said, "and it's not on fire. Just two more to do." As she said that, the heavy vines around them cleared out, disappearing into the ground.

"The area around us is dying off, now that the flower is gone," Kara pointed out. "That means where vines are, the flowers are. Let's go!"

* * *

The Meerkats were standing right behind their first flower. "So, how to we kill it?" Angie asked. "It's not like we have any chance of squaring off against it."

Paul took a quick look at Max. "Live bait?" he suggested.

Jonathan and Angie shot him dirty looks, but Max laughed. "A most evil plan! Excellent, that is what we do!" Paul the grabbed Max and got ready to throw him at the flower. "Oh, you meant with me?" Max asked innocently. "Perhaps we find a more suitable- aaaaaah!" Before max had the chance to plead, he was already being thrown at the flower. The flower shot some fire at Max, who dodged it off of pure luck.

"Now!" Paul shouted. The other three began throwing rocks at it, trying to knock it out. This caught the flower's attention, as it turned to the other three. "Oh no," Paul said. "Anyone else with an idea?"

Angie groaned. "Fine, I got it," she said blandly. She aimed right below the head of the flower, and threw her shield like a discus. Upon hitting the flower, the head was severed off. The shield landed right behind it, with Max standing there in shock of the flower head flying toward him.

"Well, that worked," Jonathan said, "but we need a safer strategy, and besides, we still have to put it out." Paul walked over and stomped out the rest of the flames. "Well, that worked too." Like the situation with the Eagles, the vines began to clear off from around them, and free up the space as well.

"So, the flowers are the source of the vines," Angie mused. "That's it then. We've gotta go find more vines!" With that, the four of them headed out.

* * *

"The Eagles have approached their second location!" Chris announced over the speakers, as the Eagles halted outside a chunk of vines. "This one seems angry!" On cue, a fireball shot out of the thick vines, making Iris duck out of the way.

Luna poked at the vines. "What do we do? I'm not gonna go in there twice. This one is much angrier." She ducked as another fireball shot out at her. It revealed a hole where the shot came from.

"Ideally," Kara suggested, "We can wait until enough fireballs shoot out and we crawl in. Play defensively." Everyone agreed at her suggestion. "Then we wait. Shields up." The six of them put up their shields as fire began to come at them faster. Scarlett approached the very edge of the vines, and when a fireball came toward her, it blew up all the vines around her, giving them an entrance.

"Got it! Let's go!" Scarlett ordered. They all ran in to see their flower. It was bigger than the last one, and there were spikes all over it. Smothering it would be out of the question. "Great," the brainiac muttered.

Everyone began to think, when Sky lit up. "Scarlett, you reflected the fireball for a short distance, so couldn't we reflect it back in their face?"

Scarlett shook her head. "It's probably immune to fire, or else its entire internal structure would collapse immediately." The flower began charging up another shot. "But whatever we think of, it should be fast!"

The flower shot three large shots at the girls, who were able to block it. "This is bad," Lavender noted. "Any larger that thing could have take off our head!"

Iris then got thinking. "Head...head...bingo! Kara, toss me your shield!" Kara hesitated, but eventually gave up her protection. Iris caught the shield in one hand, and flung hers at the flower like Angie did. As Iris deflected another fireball that came at her, the shield flew at the flower's neck and severed it. "Taken care of, let's smother it with the vines before they go away!"

The team scrambled to grab vines and put out the flower, except for Luna, who stood angrily at Iris.

* * *

**Luna: **"How?" she asked. "Someone snapped her out of trauma just like that? I guess when you're dealing with someone as unstable at her...ugh, I should have been more prepared!"

* * *

"Everyone got everything?" Sky asked as they got ready to go. They all started to walk, when Scarlett paused. "Scarlett?"

Scarlett's eyes shot up. "Oh, it's nothing, be right there!" As the rest of them left, Lavender was looking very nervous, as Scarlett began to pat herself down, looking for something.

* * *

**Scarlett: **"There's no way it was taken from me!" she lashed out. "Lavender was the _only_ one I know who knows about it, and Luna's not _that_ good at stealing. It had to be her!"

* * *

The Meerkats finally breached into their second flower, which had the same appearance as the first one. "Same strategy?" Paul asked. Angie nodded. The two of them ran forward, darting to either side. What surprised them, was the their flower shot fire in both directions. Both of them barely managed to put their shields up in time, knocking them both back.

"You!" Max shouted at the flower, catching its attention. "Why must you be on fire! There is nothing evil about being stupid!" The flower then stopped responding, seeming to be questioning its methods. When the flower wasn't looking, Jonathan attempted to jump out at it, which backfired. The flower hit Jonathan's shield and knocked it into the fire around it, melting it.

Jonathan let out a sigh. "Great, now I'm dead." He fiddled around with the vines to try and make something.

"This looks bad," Angie said. She walked up to the flower. "Could you be...reasoned with?" The flower didn't react. "Hear me out. You let us put you out, and you don't eat any of us, burn any of us, or try and kill any of us." The flower began to absorb a bunch of fire around it, and fire it at the entrance in on powerful geyser. There was nothing left of the flower after that.

"Seriously?" Paul asked. "We just had to be nice to this one?"

"Have you seen out team?" Jonathan asked, as the vines he was working with began to dissolve. "We're not a very reasonable group. Being nice was a challenge on its own."

Angie grabbed her shield. "If need be, we go on with three shields. Nothing we can do about it at this point." Jonathan frowned. "Oh, you'll be fine. Don't be worried." She leaned in. "Worst case scenario, we give you Max's." Jonathan smiled as they continued.

* * *

As the Meerkats looked around, they were shocked at the transformation of the island. "There's not much rain forest left," Jonathan pointed out.

"That patch, right there," Paul pointed to. "It's the only one left. Did we lose?"

"No, you didn't!" Chris's voice sounded to everyone. "Turns out, Chander lied. There were only five flowers, and one of you needs to put that one out for the win!"

Angie smirked. "I have an idea. Paul, you come with me. Max, Jonathan, stop the Eagles." The two of them nodded. "And remember, no talking to them. We have to throw them off. It might be our only hope of winning at this point."

Max and Jonathan ran right to the giant clump of vines, when they were intercepted by the Eagles. "Where's your team?" Iris taunted.

Instantly breaking the promise from earlier, Max spoke up. "Where's your sist-" He began to retort, but Luna quickly threw her shield at him, knocking him out. The rest of the Eagles looked at her suspiciously.

"Oh, no, Max!" she cried out in a very fake tone. She ran over. "No, I was supposed to hit Jonathan! Y-you guys go ahead!"

Jonathan shook his head. "I'm here to stop you from killing that flower!" The other five Eagles giggled, then ran inside the vine clump, with Jonathan chasing after them. Once they all left, Luna let out a groan. "Yep, unconscious," she said. "Ah, if he tries to expose what I did to Iris, then I have a bigger problem than an unconscious pawn." As she spoke, she didn't catch Iris, standing behind the corner of the vines.

* * *

**Iris: **She opened up with a loud scoff. "Of course I knew Luna was trying to play me and mess with my head. But, her not caring about Max at all...well, I saw it coming, but the others will love to hear it!"

* * *

The five remaining Meerkats and Jonathan approached the final flower. It had a large web of armor on it, making it impenetrable, and also able to withstand fire. Kara approached Jonathan and grabbed him, holding him back from getting closer. "I trust the four of you to handle this," she told them. "I take it he lost his shield, so he's useless."

"Let's handle this, then," Lavender said. She proceeded to deflect a fireball off to the side. "The other half of the Meerkats will be back soon!" Upon swinging her shield at the flower, she was knocked back. "What the-" she said, inspecting it. The flower was radiating a purple aura. "I don't get it."

Kara's eyes widened as she saw the aura. "It's probably some magnets Chander has, reflecting shield attacks and making it harder to approach." Everyone looked at her suspiciously for second. "Uh...just a guess."

* * *

**Kara: **"Yikes, that was close," she said, letting out a sigh of relief. "But, this island is really not that bad once you've seen all the ways the things that seem unnatural are produced." She paused for a second. "Wait, what if...no, that can't be right." She shook her head and let out a small laugh.

* * *

Scarlett was in the corner, patiently thinking of a response to the obstacles she was presented with. Eventually, sh figured it out. "That flower has a weak point," she said. "Once it opens its mouth, we can counterattack and hit it. Eventually we can knock it out if we can hit a vital organ." The Eagles began their work on baiting out the flower. At one point, it opened its mouth very wide, and Sky flung her shield in, hitting the flower.

The flower crunched down on the shield, and while it effortlessly broke the shield, it seemed very upset by the force of it. "Well, if we have the numbers to stand by, then that strategy should work," Scarlett noted. "Now, Sky, you stop Jonathan from doing anything, and Kara can use her shield next."

"Sure thing!" Sky said, quickly trading off with Kara, and mindlessly holding her target until she realized who she was holding. "Oh...uhhh-"

"It's fine," Jonathan said hopelessly, "I get its for your team." He shook his head. "If only I knew where my team was."

Sky sighed. "Um, Jonathan?"

"Yes?"

Sky got red a bit. "Um, I decided. About, you know, what you asked me."

"Oh?"

"I'm totally happy to do that," she said. Jonathan smiled, but Sky stopped him. "But, we have to keep it a secret until the merge. I have a feeling my team wouldn't like it."

* * *

Paul and Angie finally arrived at the beach. "So why are we here while we leave the two most people susceptible to manipulation with the other team?" Paul asked with concern.

"I saw it," Angie said. "I saw the flower. I know what it looks like. We can't put it out by stomping it. We need water."

Paul eyed up the area they were at. "Are we sure this is water? I know it's a beach, but this island isn't very trustworthy."

Angie scooped up a bunch with a bucket. "It's the best we have, now scoop and scram! The Eagles should almost be done this at this point."

* * *

Iris ran up and smashed her shield into the face of the flower, who knocked her back and ate the shield. "That's the last one," she said with exhaustion. "Why hasn't it gone down yet?"

Scarlett, who also had no shield, looked behind her. "We have to go get Luna. If we can get her shield and Max's, it might be enough to stop them." The Eagles abandoned their spots by the flower and ran outside. "Naturally," Scarlett said blankly, looking at the lack of people around. "She is gone."

"What do we do?" Kara asked. "We're out of ways to fight it!"

Lavender ripped off part of a tree. "You guys are forgetting something," she said. "This entire island is pretty much metal. We can use whatever we want!"

Scarlett smiled as she saw Lavender rip off another part of the tree and pass it to Iris. "Well, this is interesting, she's much more confident," she said to herself. "Too bad it was certainly her who betrayed me." The other Eagles geared up and went back in to face the flower, while Scarlett motioned them ahead. "You go on," she said aloud. "I'll look for Luna."

The four Eagles left went in and saw Jonathan being pressured into the corner by the flower. Right before he was about to be blasted, Sky landed a tree chunk on top of the flower, knocking it out temporarily. Jonathan smiled while Sky shot him a wink. "We did it!" Iris said. "But, of course, we lack a way to put out the fire. If we can't do that, we're hosed."

Just then, two more people entered the flower's area. "Perfect timing," Angie said, holding a bucket of water. "Looks like this challenge was handed to us." She ran toward the flower, only to be knocked back by Iris.

"We can't let you win," Iris said angrily. "I rely on a victory today!"

Paul then jumped down from above. "Now that Iris is occupied, I'll slip in to win!" He was then stopped by Sky. "No!" he shouted, as his water fell on the ground. Some of it splashed on the flower, but it wasn't enough to put it out.

Angie let out a huff. "Gah, guess it's on me to save the day." She shoved Iris out of the way and bolted for the flower. "Cover me, Jonathan!"

"On it," Jonathan replied. "This win is important." He was about to make it to stop Iris again when he was grabbed and thrown back. Everyone looked and saw Scarlett come back. "Y-you left!"

Scarlett nodded. "Indeed, finding Luna's whereabouts help me get into a stronger position in the game." She addressed the chaos around them. "But, to win this challenge, I returned at the sound of commotion." Angie was still running toward the flower, when she was also pulled back by Kara. "Good, now, grab that bucket."

"We have to find a way to suppress Scarlett's commands!" Paul noted. "Once that happens, they cannot function." He jumped back from a swing from Iris, when he looked down. "Where's the other bucket?"

Scarlett pointed at the bucket with water in it. "It's open. Get it. Stop anyone who interferes!" Lavender ran toward it, then changed paths to stop the three Meerkats. Eventually, everyone was in a locked position, unable to advance. "Ah, I suppose I can do it," the brainiac muttered. She walked forward to get it, when the other bucket crashed onto her head. In a state of confusion, she looked up, and saw Max jump in on top of her. "No!"

"Yes!" Max said. "This flower is too evil to be on this island. I am the true evil, so I will vanquish this with ease!" With that, he picked up the water bucket, and splashed out the flower.

"No..." Iris said. The other Eagles seemed disappointed, as they were defeated.

At that moment, Chris walked in. "Wow," he said. "You guys got real violent with that last flower. Anyway, thanks to Max, the Meerkats have turned their losing streak into a winning streak." The Meerkats smirked at each other, proud of what they did. "Eagles, your losing streak continues. Time to send someone home."

* * *

**Jonathan: **"I didn't expect Max to pull out a win for us," he admitted. "To be honest, the fact he outlasted other members of our team is shocking. But, I feel like that plan wasn't his own, and someone is pulling those stings." He clenched his fists. "As someone who was on the bad end of telling someone what to do, I don't want him, or anyone, to be put in that position. I have to right my wrongs!"

**Luna: **She appeared distant at first, before snapping to attention. "Oh? Yeah, that was my plan. Didn't want anyone to figure that out." She laughed. "You see, tonight, I will eliminate Scarlett when she least expects it. No doubt she has allies, but I can still make it happen."

* * *

Luna exited the confessional to see Lavender standing there. "You're just playing Max!" she accused Luna. "You-"

"Easy, there," Luna said, interrupting her. "Scarlett is the reason you're in the state that you are, is it not?" Lavender paused. "Allow me to help you remedy that situation. I ask for nothing in return, but for you to keep quiet about my dealings with Max."

Lavender hesitated before responding. "I don't like the path Scarlett has gone down, it's true," she admitted. "But I cannot ally myself with you. You understand, I hope." She walked off.

Luna let out a sigh. "Well, she's clearly got her eyes set on something with her," she said, interested. "Eh, I'm sure it'll come to fruition."

As Lavender made it back to the bunker, she was intercepted. "You!" Scarlett shouted. "You stole it!"

"Stole what?" the nature child asked. "Why would I steal something from you? You control me."

"You stole the thing to escape from that control, Yuuki!" Scarlett hissed, sending Lavender into a bit of a shock. "Give it back!"

Lavender shook her head. "I don't have it, I'm sorry. You should check with Luna. She has something planned for you tonight."

"Me?" Scarlett asked, in a much less venomous tone, and unaware of what Lavender meant. To her misfortune, Lavender was already gone.

* * *

**Lavender: **She was shaking, holding the sole vote idol in her hands. "The time is now," she said. "I have to do this."

* * *

**Elimination 9**

The six Eagles sat pretty far apart from each other, not enjoying the others' company. Scarlett sat directly next to Lavender, keeping a close eye on her subordinate, while Kara, Sky, and Iris also sat next to each other by choice. Chris approached the group, with only five marshmallows on the plate. "This one ought to be a real shocker," Chris said. "I was really surprised by how these votes went." He picked up the first two marshmallows. "Sky and Kara, you two are safe."

Iris raised an eyebrow, as Scarlett and Lavender shifted in their seats. Only Luna looked unfazed at this. "Lavender." Lavender grabbed her marshmallow, as Iris got increasingly impatient. "Iris." Iris, shocked, grabbed her marshmallow, as Luna and Scarlett glared at each other, aware that the other had tried to take them out. "Oooh," Chris said. "I knew that was gonna look satisfying. I could talk about why you guys are on the bottom here, but, that would be a waste of time. We all know why. Some, more than others." Iris and Lavender let out a sigh.

Chris held up the final marshmallow. "However this goes, someone's gonna be happy. Tonight's loser is..."

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

"Wait!"

Everyone turned to see Lavender standing up, holding the sole vote idol. "With this in my possession, I am negating the votes, and making my own choice."

Luna raised an eyebrow, unaware of the power Lavender had. Meanwhile, Scarlett was mad. "Yuuki!" A few of them gasped at her real name being shouted.

"No!" Lavender shouted back. "That is not who I am anymore, and I prove that tonight!" She turned to Chris. "I'm sick and tired of the stress I am put through here, and I am using my best shot to get myself out of here before I die from it. I using my one vote on myself, and it's not against the rules." Kara and Sky gasped at this.

Chris groaned. "Just great. The season I make it not allowed to eliminate yourself, two people find a way around it. I need to make those contracts more ironclad."

Scarlett was shocked at this reveal. "But...surely you were going to eliminate me. I don't mind, but I would like to know."

Lavender looked at her. "Flora was right about you, and I could tell that. You opened my eyes to see people in different ways, and to think critically. For your efforts, I break free from your clutches, and you can break free from yourself. Don't hide it."

Scarlett hesitated. "That's not- no, I-"

"It's okay," Lavender said. "And, I asked around before the elimination. It would have been you were it not for me."

Luna let out a shout of frustration. "Ugh, is that true, McLean?"

Chris shrugged. "You can check the votes, look yourself. Lavender, the cannon awaits."

"Gladly," the nature child said.

* * *

Lavender smiled at everyone. "Good luck," she told them. "Please, stop the real threat. You too, Scarlett." The brainiac rolled her eyes, and everyone watched as she was shot out of the cannon, not to be seen anymore.

* * *

**Scarlett: **"I don't understand that girl," Scarlett admitted. "Why not save me from my own clutches by eliminating me? Even then, she would still have the idol. She can't really think that highly of me...can she?"

* * *

"Uh oh," Chris said, "Someone's confused!" He laughed for a second before turning to the camera. "We're down to nine! Who's gonna fine? And who's gonna take Luna down in time? Can anyone stop my gracious rhymes?" Chander rolled his eyes at the host's comment.

"Oh, that's enough," the co-host said. "Find out next time on Total Drama Fiery Passion, or whatever."

"Hey!" Chris shouted, causing Chander to snicker.

(END OF CHAPTER)

* * *

**Votes: Extreme Eagles**

**Iris: **"I still must do whatever it takes. Luna, I think we have you this time."

**Kara: **"Luna threatened me, about me hiding away by Chander's control area. She doesn't control me! Uh, I'm voting for Scarlett, not related."

**Lavender: **"I need to make sure I'm nowhere near the bottom to drop suspicion. Sorry, Iris."

**Luna: **"Scarlett, your time has come, but for real this time. Oh, this will be just as great!"

**Scarlett: **"I don't get why Yuuki would notify me of such an attack, but I trust her judgement. Luna, I have to do this now."

**Sky: **"I'm voting for Scarlett. I know what she's capable of."

**Total- Scarlett (3), Luna (2), Iris (1)**

**Eliminated: Lavender (SV Idol)**

* * *

**Current Teams:**

**Extreme Eagles: **Iris, Kara, Luna, Scarlett, Sky

**Middle Meerkats: **Angie, Jonathan, Max, Paul

Elimination Order:

19th (kind of)- Chander, The Spooky Prankster

18th- Sugar, The Pageant Queen

17th- Norm, The Antisocial Genius

16th- Jasmine, The Outback Amazon

15th- Marty, The Con Artist

14th- Kayla, The Brat

13th- Flora, The Pacifist

12th- Ethan, The Anti-Villain

11th- Shawn, The Zombie Conspiracy Nut

10th- Lavender, The Nature's Child

* * *

**Sorry, Lavender!**** This officially concludes her arc too, as you probably assumed. Now, we move on to a new one, focusing on Scarlett alone. This is also the first chapter in the second half, neat.**

**The merge is fast approaching, but even yet, it will come when it's unexpected. After all, we are down to half the cast. Who do you think is going to win? Make your guesses in reviews. I've seen some very close guesses. But you are forgetting that I refuse to be predictable. So, who will make it all the way?**

**I hope you are liking the series so far. This has been a real fun season to write, especially since this one in particular is really focused on story.**

**So...yeah, I'll see you when I upload next. I'm trying to power out these a bit, so I can get finished in a reasonable amount of time. I have a summer project I want to work on before the shuffled series.**


	11. Inverted Fire

**Replies, slightly soaked**

**Guest 1138- I'm impressed I actually figured something out for a challenge. It gets brutal when you have to make over 30 new challenges. Interesting predictions.**

**Sephiria Arks- Flora and Lander didn't necessarily cause it, but they helped Scarlett recognize it. It happened during her confinement at some point. Everyone seems to be picking Max, Paul, and Sky as choices for elimination. Let's see if any of you are right!**

**Candela Monsoon- Everyone here currently fits the bill for balance as a finalist, simply based on placements everywhere else. So, it really is anyone's game. I'm sure Madison would have had something to say to Hannah though. The two weren't on very good terms.**

**Ah, another challenge, who's gonna win?**

* * *

Episode 11: Inverted Fire

Chris was standing on the island, but not on the dock. The island was...slightly submerged underwater, leaving only a portion of it left above the sea level. Chris smiled as he opened up the episode. "Previously, on Total Drama Fiery Passion, we sent our campers on a hunt though a rain forest to pick some flowers, or rather, pick off some flowers." The opening clips were Hannah descending from the sky and Angie slicing a flower's head off. "We said a hello to Hannah, who left very quickly after learning the island was fake, which we told her beforehand. Teams struggled to make unique ways to stop the flowers from burning their faces off." The next clip was Iris slamming her shield into the flower's head, as Lavender ripped off a piece of the tree to try and fight it. "Raging through the waters of victory, Angie and Paul made a strategy to stall and let the Eagles take the fall, bringing them to their third consecutive win. The Eagles were left to flush out their own team members, which caused tensions to rise on the surface." The next clips were Lavender being confronted about the idol, and Luna being caught by Iris. "In the end, Lavender took the dive of faith, and swam around our rules to eliminate herself." The final clip was Lavender playing the idol, and Scarlett being surprised at her words.

A flash on the screen showed the nine remaining contestants: Max, Iris, Jonathan, Kara, Luna, Sky, Scarlett Paul, and Angie. "We are halfway down the cast, and someone else leaves today! We'll find out who leaves, right now on Total! Drama! Fiery Passion!

* * *

**Opening Sequence**

[Various cameras began to appear in a similar way to the other seasons. The first one appeared out of a lily pad, which seemed to be mechanically connected to the water. Next, one came out of a tree, which spit out some fire as the camera popped out. The final one fell on top of the outhouse confessional, and exploded into a burning flame. The camera then began to fly as the opening played.]

_Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doing fine,_

[The camera arrived at a waterfall, where Shawn poked his head out, to see Jasmine waiting for him. He waved a signal as she went in.]

_You guys are on my mind,_

[Next to the waterfall, Marty stares at them with a scowl on his face. He picks up a stick, smirks at the waterfall, and snaps the stick.]

_You asked me what I wanted to be, and I think the answer is plain to see_

[The camera flies over the waterfall, where Sky is doing Olympic style jumps. She lands one perfectly, much to Jonathan's amazement. Iris runs by and smacks Jonathan over the head. Ethan laughs in the back as Jonathan fumes.]

_I wanna be famous!_

[The camera flies to a clearly mechanical mountain, where Paul and Angie are intensely competing. Angie barely beats him up the hill, which angers Paul.]

_I wanna live close to the sun_

[Lavender and Flora smile at each other as they run off. A hand reaches out to stop one of them.]

_Go pack your bags, 'cause I've already won_

[Lavender turns her head to see Scarlett. The quiet brainiac signals for Lavender to follow her instead.]

_Everything to prove, nothing in my way,_ _I'll get there one day_

[As Sugar tries her hardest trying to build something, she laughs at her own brilliance. Meanwhile, Norm fakes a fall, knocking it over. He gives the pageant queen a sheepish but fake smile.]

_I wanna be famous_

[Paul and Angie are seen in a hot race again, this time Paul has the lead. He skids to a halt and trips her, causing her to fall.]

_Na na nanana na, nanana na, nananananana_

[Kayla kicks the ground, evidently bored, while her sister, Kara, investigates a pipe spitting out fire on the others side. A ball of fire shoots by and ignites another pipe, which causes Kara to look back. Chander is seen blowing out ignition fuel.]

_I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous!_

[Various other high ranking, non-competing contestants appear in silhouettes, as fire shoots out from behind them. Some have items like swords or heavy weights in their hand. Others are just standing there in a menacing fashion.]

_I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous!_

[The scene zooms into the fire, which changes to a traditional campfire.]

_*Whistling*_

[Luna stares at Max with a bright green glow, while Max offers her a contraption he made. The psychic fixes it with her mind, which causes the others to glare at her as they whistle.]

* * *

On the other side of the island, Paul was waking up. "Ugh, what a terrible sleep," he muttered. "I felt like I was on a waterbed. Anyone need breakfast, I'm gonna head down for some."

Jonathan was looking out of the fort, already awake. "Yeah, you might not need the ladder today." They looked out and saw that the water was nearly up to the floor on the tree fort, with about a few feet left to spare.

"What is this?" Max asked, very annoyed. "Evil does not get wet!"

Angie looked out and sighed. "Well, I guess we wait here until the challenge."

"It's our only option," Max complained. "Do you think Luna is doing okay?"

* * *

The scene opened up with Luna lying down in the bunker, sighing. "I miss Max, you know," she told to no one in particular. "He's probably worried about me, the sweetheart that he is."

Iris let out a loud scoff before banging on the door again. "Look, I don't want to be in here with you, but until this door gets fixed, could you not talk about your 'love interest'?" Her last two words were said with a sharp tongue.

"What do you mean?" Luna asked innocently.

Iris laughed. "I saw you yesterday. I know your thing for Max is all faked."

Scarlett began to feel the door of the bunker to find a solution. "She's right, it's very unbelievable that you, who has evil tendencies, would be attracted to someone as evil as a bowl of cereal." Eventually, she pushed on the side of the bunker, and the bunker pushed back. "Is this, water pressure?" She asked with shock. "The bunker must be completely submerged!

"That would explain my headache," Kara said, leaning on the wall and holding her head. "It's probably for the best I did poorly on Submerged, I get terrible headaches if I'm underwater too long."

Iris backed up to the back end of the bunker. "Well, I'm getting out of here, you all might want to follow." She began to charge when Kara stopped her.

"Wait, our stuff!" Iris eventually broke free of Sky's grasp, and slammed into the door. After a bit of water rushed in, the door slammed shut again. "Well, I guess we wait here until the challenge."

"That's too bad," Sky said, sitting in the corner of the bunker, and trying to ignore the tense aura around her, mentally and physically. "I was kinda hoping I could hang out with Jonathan more today."

Iris scoffed. "Yeah...about that," she said, clearly a bit upset with her teammate. "There are five of us left. You need to stick by us today, got it?"

"Getting angry?" Luna asked, with a high amount of mockery in her voice. "Don't make me have to deal with you again." Iris growled at the psychic as she laughed.

"Of course I'll stick with you guys," she said. "U-until we merge, of course. Then, I want to work with someone who I'd be willing to face in the finale."

Kara let out a short sigh. "No, I see her point. None of us are exactly desirable opponents." She then let out a larger sigh. "I wish I could go out of this bunker. I had to ask Chander a couple things."

Scarlett groaned. "I take it you've given up on trying to hide the fact you've been down there?"

"Yeah," Kara said with acceptance. "Half of you knew anyway, plus, I could use your help. Scarlett, yours particularly."

The brainiac raised an eyebrow, not sure what the curious twin was implying. "Oh?"

Kara proceeded to take out the sleeve that she had been holding onto. "Do you know to reverse scorch marks?"

Scarlett shook her head. "That's actually impossible," she said. "Although, some of the original color is distinguishable. It appears to be a dark purple, almost like it's part of a cloak."

"Cloak?" Kara asked. "Like, a dark purple cloak?"

Scarlett rolled her eyes. "If the cloak was orange, how would a dark purple sleeve have emerged from it? Of course it's a dark purple cloak. Whoever wore the cloak was hiding the fact that they've been messing around down there."

Luna let out another laugh. "What does wonder boy do down there anyway? He's always above ground, so even if someone got in there, there'd be nothing to see." At that moment, Kara let out a loud shriek.

* * *

**Kara:** "Okay," she said quickly, "I know for a fact that Luna has been tampering down there. I need to find a concrete way to prove it to the others, or she'll take me out first. Ugh, Scarlett probably knows, but she refuses to get rid of Luna. Sky probably won't believe me, and Iris...well, I think she trusts _me._" She let out a sigh. "But that's only two votes, if I'm lucky. I never know how to do this strategic stuff."

* * *

A rumble silenced the conversation, and the Eagles watched in horror as the bunker was elevated from the ground. Once the pressure on the walls subsided, Scarlett opened the door, only to find Chander in a scuba mask, messing with air containers. "Man, you guys really made this difficult," he complained. "What did you use to build this, reinforced metal?"

"Yes," Scarlett answered bluntly.

"Huh," Chander mused. "Well, have fun, go to the challenge."

Kara turned around to collect her stuff, when she realized the cloak fragment was now missing. "Oh no," she said to herself. "I'm too late."

* * *

**Luna: **She was holding the cloak piece close to her. "First, my grapple gun, now this? I have really been losing my touch this season." She let out a sigh. "For two seasons, I kept up such a good ruse. I refuse to let it be hindered by a curious brat and some nerd who lost an idol."

* * *

The two teams finally gathered at the meeting area, where Paul and Angie were unhappy with their teammates. "So, are you guys gonna listen to us and not speak to them this time?"

Jonathan shook his head. "Out of my control. It was a dumb plan from the start."

Paul groaned. "Of course these people aren't going to want to help. Fine, we can dismantle the opposition ourselves."

The Meerkats continued to bicker until Chris stepped in front of them. "Silence!" he called out to them, getting the four remaining team members to hush up. "Today, you may have noticed that the island is a bit wetter than usual."

"Yeah, I noticed," Kara said, dipping her hand into the water to try and look closer through it. "What gives? I thought this was a fire season."

"Not while _I'm _around," a voice called from above. "The groups looked up to see the person in question, standing above the helicopter in a blue swimsuit. With grace, she jumped out, eventually, she got out of the water, getting some water off her brown hair. Sarah gave them a laugh. "Oh, this is exciting," she said. "I haven't competed in so long. Now, I get to run a challenge!"

Chris sighed. "Yes. Explain the first part. You can handle the second part later."

Sarah gave him a cheerful gleam. "Awesome! I wanted to take a look at that second part anyway." Sarah proceeded to pull out two torches, then handed one to Sky, and the other to Angie. "Your goal is to keep this torch safe in any way you find. Build armor, keep it away, or just rush the other team, it doesn't matter. Once your torch goes out, the other team gets an advantage."

Chris held up a timer. "You have two hours to beat the other team before no one gets the advantage. Ready?" Both teams appeared to be backing away from each other slowly. "Go!" At that cue, the nine ran off in separate directions.

The Eagles stopped on top of their bunker, which was still floating nearby. "Look," Luna said bluntly. "We can easily smother that torch. Just rush it. We can keep one person behind to guard."

"That won't work," Iris countered. "We have to protect it, or we don't get that advantage!"

Luna let out a laugh at her paranoid teammate. "Why are you so concerned about an advantage?"

"Because," Iris answered with a scoff, "it probably means we can be rougher in the second half, a luxury they won't have."

Kara ripped the bark off a tree that was reachable from the bunker's roof. "Why don't we encase it in water-proof metal?"

"Because," Scarlett answered with a hint of annoyance. "That would smother it before we get a chance. Any protection will hinder its oxygen flow."

Luna smiled, seeing her plan come into action. "Then it's settled, we rush." Scarlett raised an arm to argue, but was out of words. "Great."

* * *

"Honestly," Angie said with her team, who was hiding a few meters back from the bunker, "screw the advantage, we don't need it."

Paul grunted as he began to mess with a makeshift shield. "I would like to have it. We're on a winning streak, but we can't be complacent."

"What's that for, then?" Jonathan asked.

Paul grunted as he stood up, and held it in front of him. "I'm going to rush the other team. You guys flank them, Max, guard. Go!"

The Eagles looked up as Paul came rushing forward with a shield. "He's coming," Luna said. "Time to pull out the backfire." Iris ran down alone to challenge Paul, while Luna and Kara ran off to one side. Sky and Scarlett stayed behind.

Upon reaching the center, Iris grabbed onto Paul's shield, and began to pull it back to her. Paul, holding onto it as well, refused to let go. "Give up!" Iris demanded, struggling to gain any leeway on the pessimist. Paul then relaxed for a second, before throwing the shield, with Iris still clinging onto it, into the water. "Gah!" she screamed as she fell in. Paul continued to move forward.

Kara and Luna had intercepted Angie, and the three were trying to stop each other. Meanwhile, Jonathan made it up top, to find only Sky was there. Scarlett had gone away. "Oh, oh no," Jonathan said with despair as he realized his opponent. "I didn't expect this."

"Sorry," Sky said. "I can't let you put this out!"

Jonathan began to approach the torch, which Sky backed away with. "Surely Scarlett is coming, right?" she muttered under her breath.

* * *

Max was sitting alone at the Meerkat base with the torch, when someone dropped in. "We stopped your attack," Scarlett bragged. "Now, hand over the torch. You don't want any trouble."

Max backed away. "You fiend! Luna will surely take you out now!"

Scarlett paused. "Do you actually think she's showing affection to you? She loathes you behind your back. You're being played more than when I did it to you. Wake. Up."

Max stared at her for a second, before bursting out in laughter. "Ha! You're jealous!"

Scarlett's eyes widened. "Jealous? I would never-" Her defense was interrupted by a buzzer, and a cheer from Paul and Angie, who were at the Eagles' torch, which was not out.

"The Meerkats take the advantage!" Chris shouted, causing Sky to sigh in defeat.

Iris walked over to her, with a scowl on her face. "This is why you don't cross-team date. I thought you learned that. You trust him, of all people. Pathetic."

Luna smirked as Scarlett walked back with her head down. "What's wrong?" the psychic taunted. "Caught off guard?"

"The seed of doubt is planted," Scarlett muttered to herself. She then looked directly at Luna. "I recall a bet we made at the beginning of the season. Lavender is now gone."

Luna nodded. "Yeah, I remember that too. You think I'm actually going to vote myself off?" Scarlett growled and stormed off.

* * *

**Scarlett: **"I will take her down," she said with determination. "The next chance I get, I will tell all of them."

* * *

After a brief break, the teams gathered to the front of a giant obstacle course. "So, what is this?" Kara asked Sarah, who was standing in front of them.

Sarah smirked. "A reason you should be glad I'm not here. Sarah gestured out to what was in front of them. "You all recall the Aquastacle course, yes?" A few of the Karon kids nodded their heads. "This will be a bit different. You are going to run through this course, and the four fastest times move on to the final run-through. Meerkats, since you won the advantage, you are guaranteed to have someone in that final part."

"Not much of an advantage," Angie said.

Sarah broke into a sprint. "First, you need to get past the Shatter Slash!" Sarah bounced off a platform lightly as it broke beneath her. As the platform continued to break, Sarah kept jumping to avoid falling in the water. "Next up, make it through the Swift Strikes!" Sarah approached a long board, and as she ran through it, many different long objects came flying at her, and then came rushing back. Sarah managed to dodge them all.

"Now, for the Knightkneeler!" Sarah ran forward as fast as she can, before ducking and sliding across the ground. Above her, a giant piston came out. After getting up, she laughed. "Yeah, that one's got enough power to knock down a horse." She came to the final obstacle. "Finally, we have the Glowing Ember!" Sarah jumped down onto an orange trampoline, which sent her up. "Agh, that's hot," she muttered, before landing on the final platform. "I don't expect any of you to come close to that time, but good luck!"

"Thanks, Sarah," Chris said. "You're done for the day. Go, do whatever you do, I guess." Sarah nodded as she grabbed the helicopter's ladder and was lifted away. "Well, Eagles, you guys can start."

* * *

Luna stood at the top of the platform first. "This should be easy," she said. "I have the advantage every time I do this." Luna began running, and quickly stepped off the platforms of the Shatter Slash. She reached the landing of it just before it broke. Luna kept going to the Swift Strikes. As oobjects began to boomerang around her, she let out a shriek. The objects stopped, and Luna teleported to the end of the Swift Strikes.

"This is ridiculous," Paul complained.

As Luna approached the Knightkneeler, she slid below the piston effortlessly, and once it retracted, she kept moving to the final stage. Luna ignored the trampoline, and to avoid any further injury, teleported to the other end.

Chris looked at his watch. "Forty-eight seconds, but, I'm adding ten more since you cheated on two of the obstacles." Luna let out a huff, but was realtively content with her time, and that she finished at all.

* * *

Next up was Angie. "Great, more pain," she muttered, getting ready to start. Angie picked up speed much faster than Luna, and simply ran with long strides across the Shatter Slash, making it difficult to be able to fall. Angie was very careful through the Swift Strikes, but was caught off guard by a long spear that was coming back for a second hit. Angie grabbed onto the spear and rode it, until she got back on the platform.

"Oooh," Chris said. "An impressive display from Angie, too bad it's gonna result in her pace being behind Luna for now."

Angie sprinted right toward the Knightkneeler, and once she saw the piston coming out, she reacted and slid. Her speed was enough to get her through to the end of it, and she kept moving as the piston retracted. Approaching the Glowing Ember, she clenched her teeth as she jumped. The trampoline was still very hot, but she did it. Landing on the other side, she hit the buzzer.

"Forty-five seconds!" Chris announced. "Even without Luna's penalty, Angie destroyed her." Angie smiled, knowing that would be a hard time to beat.

* * *

Kara was up next for the Eagles. "This doesn't look fun. I don't do well going fast..." She started to fun, and tried using Angie's strategy on the Shatter Slash. Unfortunately, she was not as fast as the hothead, so the glass broke beneath her. Kara let out a scream, but quickly grabbed the ledge before she fell in the water. "Oh, thank goodness."

* * *

**Kara: **"This season was supposed to be all about fire!" She exclaimed. "How was I supposed to know something like this was coming? Oh, I feel so unprepared now..."

* * *

Kara got to the Swift Strikes and sighed. "This isn't going to end well." With that, she ran straight forward, and did her best to dodge things slowly. Almost at the end, she tried making a dive, but was hit by a giant block coming back at her. Kara let out a louder scream, and fell into the water.

"Ouch!" Chris said, laughing. "Kara is out on the Swift Strikes! Unless everyone else does worse than her, she is not moving on." Kara popped out of the water with a huff, then swam off.

* * *

Jonathan was up next. "I've got this," he said confidently. He began to run, but tripped right before the Shatter Slash. Unfortunately, he landed on the glass, which broke instantly. Jonathan grunted as he fell into the water. "Aw...no..."

On the sidelines, a few people were laughing. "Wow, you must feel real bad right about now, Sky," Iris teased. She looked over to see that Sky wasn't with the rest of them, and helping Jonathan out of the water. "Ugh, she's gonna get it."

"Seeking aid in your plots?" Luna asked from behind Iris. "I know we aren't best friends, but if we have a common enemy, why not vote together?"

Iris scoffed. "I would never vote with you. You ruined me."

Luna let out a sigh. "Oh, I did, but think about it. Are you really going to change your vote just because I'm voting for someone? That can't be right. You wouldn't do that." Iris let out a growl as Luna patted her on the shoulder. "You're up next. Have fun."

* * *

**Luna: **"That went well," she said playfully. "Now that Iris has probably shifted her vote to me, I can work on getting rid of her for good."

* * *

Iris stood at the top. "Lousy teammates," she muttered. "I'll show them how to win a challenge." Iris broke into a sprint, and was clearly the fastest of the day so far. As she neared the Shatter Slash, she took one giant leap. It landed her in about the middle of the glass, which her reflexes were quick enough to jump off of at the last minute. The Swift Strikes were nothing short of a joke to Iris. She carefully maneuvered through each one, backing away a few times where she had got to close. "Child's play," she muttered.

"Don't get careless!" Scarlett shouted from the side. Iris nodded and kept moving.

Kara looked confused at this. "Did she...treat you with respect?"

"As much as I'm able to earn, probably," Scarlett assumed, "but yes."

Kara was shocked at that response, and that Scarlett knew it would happen. "But, how?"

"I helped her when she needed it, then I got out of her way. Whether or not either of us want to accept it, we're...allies." Scarlett hesitated at the last part, realizing that they truly were allies.

Iris got to the Knightkneeler, but had a different approach. She baited out the piston first, and as it was retracting, she was able to run to the end of the course without a problem or concern that it might come back out. Finally, she reached the Glowing Ember. "I jolted myself out of a state of numbness," she muttered. "I can handle a quick burn." She jumped down, and without reacting, landed perfectly on the platform and hit the buzzer.

Chris was impressed. "Small time loss on that piston, but you still did well. Forty-six seconds!" Iris let out a huff. It was one second slower than Angie.

* * *

Max was the next person to go for the Meerkats. "Time to evil!" he shouted out, getting hyped through his favorite phrase.

"This is going to be so funny," Scarlett said, trying to hold back a laugh.

Max began running, and his speed was relatively slow. However, he didn't look down to actually see the glass, so he kept moving, the glass breaking behind him, and barely holding him up. "I don't get it," he asked. "where's the first part?"

"You already did it, purple man," Paul told him. "Nice work, keep moving!"

Max grinned. "Well, that was so easy, I'll definitely take the others down!" He kept running through the Swift Strikes, and while something eventually knocked him off, he was then hit by something else, tossing him back onto the platform. A few of the Eagles gasped and groaned.

* * *

**Scarlett: **"That kind of luck should statistically be impossible to attain! What higher power does he have working for him?"

* * *

Max then got to the Knightkneeler. "Ah, finally, an obstacle. Max began to run, and the piston activated. However, he was far too slow, and the piston punched him off the course entirely, landing back in the water near the start.

"Max is out on the Knightkneeler," Chris announced. "But, only three people have completed the course so far. Max overtakes Kara for the spot in finals."

A few people let out a groan. "I was really bested by Max, wasn't I?" Kara asked herself in defeat.

Scarlett let out a sigh. "I doubt I can do any better. Ugh, I won't be hearing the end of this anytime soon." With another sigh in anticipation, Scarlett walked up for the course.

* * *

"Let's get this over with," the brainiac said in defeat. "I don't expect to make it far, but I will try my hardest." Scarlett picked up a bit more speed than Max. While she knew she didn't have the dexterity to jump around on the glass, she noticed that applying Max's strategy, be it intentional or not, would still work. So, with no fear, she made it through the Shatter Slash. Scarlett paused in front of the Swift Strikes, and carefully watched the timing of each object. Sowly, but surely, she baited out every obstacle two times, before crossing relatively unscathed.

"She's doing better than I expected," Jonathan said nervously.

"It's fine," Angie said. "After all, we have Paul going next, and at the rate Scarlett's going, I doubt she'll beat Luna.

Scarlett used Iris's strategy at the Knightkneeler, waiting for the piston to retract before moving. Just barely, the piston caught her moving and tried to strike again, but it was too late, as Scarlett had already made it across. "Just a simple physics problem left," she mused, smirking at her own accomplishment. "A...very painful physics problem. Well, no sense in waiting." Scarlett jumped down, yelped out in pain a bit, before landing carefully in the center of the platform, and hitting the buzzer.

Chris chuckled. "An abysmal time of fifty-five seconds, but Scarlett has put herself in the final round. Can anyone stop her?"

Paul laughed as he stepped up the course. "Stop her? I won't stop at that. I'll stop them all."

* * *

Paul began the course at a light jog. "I think I've seen this enough times to optimize it," he said. He carefully made it over the Shatter Slash, now that people have mostly realized that it is not a huge threat. Upon reaching the Swift Strikes, he paused a few feet back, and took a deep breath. Then he ran faster than Iris through the whole thing, with everything crashing down behind him. Miraculously, he made it out, perfectly fine. "Huh," he said. "That worked. Okay."

"This isn't going well," Luna said. "I don't want to be out of that final round..."

Paul got to the Knightkneeler, which was ready to strike once Paul got there. "Use my strategy!" Angie shouted. "You're fast enough!" Paul nodded as he built up speed. The piston shot out at him, and he ducked right before it was about to him. Paul slid to the end of the course, and got up, right at the Glowing Ember. Paul, without hesitation jumped off and got to the end of the course, slapping the buzzer with a happy face.

Even Chris seemed impressed. "Wow, Paul knocks everyone away with a thirty-eight second time. Luna has lost her spot in the final round. Can anyone top that?"

"I guess it's up to me," Sky said, the other Eagles looking at her with high expectations.

Scarlett turned to the team. "I hope she can make it," she said nervously. "She can easily best Paul if they all go at once, but I cannot."

* * *

Sky stood at the top, ready to go. "Let's do this!" she shouted, before taking off. Her speed was around that of Paul. She slid right past the Shatter Slash, and kept moving, trying to aim for the best time. Once she hit the Swift Strikes, she began to run through those too, stopping at a few close calls that Paul chose to run through.

"Sky is making impressive time," Chris said, "but can she get past Paul?"

Sky ran right into the Knightkneeler, and got to about halfway when the piston got near. Sky chose to roll under it instead of slide, which allowed for her to make it past in record timing. "Yes!" she cheered, knowing very well that she was in the lead.

"Don't rush this!" Luna warned. "You'll regret it if you do!"

Sky proceeded to ignore Luna and jump right into the Glowing Ember. However, she got distracted by the heat of the trampoline that she was offset, and landed in the water next to the platform, unable to finish the course. "That's gonna be a loss for Sky!" Chris announced. "Looks like she's not advancing." A screen rolled up in front of the contestants, showing the times. "The four moving on to the next round are Paul, Angie, Iris, and Scarlett."

"This is bad," Kara pointed out. "I don't want to sound like a downer, but they're both faster than us."

Luna stepped forward. "I have a plan. We need to have Scarlett catch one of them early before they get ahead, while Iris goes and pursues the other."

"But which one to we get first?" Sky asked, still drying herself off. Luna whispered something to them. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense."

* * *

**Kara: **"Well, to be honest, I would love to stay and cheer them on, but I want to go and convince Chander that Luna is the thief. I just have to escape Luna catching me."

* * *

The four in the second round lined up, from left to right, Paul, Scarlett, Iris, Angie. "The first person to finish, or whoever makes it the furthest, will win immunity for their team."

"There's a lot on the line," Angie told the other three. "Paul and I are going all out."

Scarlett and Iris didn't respond, and simply kept their eyes forward on the goal. "Go!" Chris called. The four began to go instantly. It was clear that Paul and Angie were sticking to their strategies from before, but Iris was closing in on Angie. Eventually, Iris grabbed onto Angie, and began to pull her back.

"Now!" Iris called out. Scarlett ran forward onto the glass of the Shatter Slash, as Paul closely stuck by. Much to Paul's surprise, Scarlett, instead of fighting back, flopped on the floor, creating a gap in the glass. Paul tried to get his footing for a jump quick enough, but the glass broke beneath them. By the time Angie was free from Iris's grip the two were already in the water.

Chris laughed. "Wow, already two of them are down! It's down to Angie and Iris to win this for the team!"

Paul popped out of the water, glaring at Scarlett. "This seems like some elaborate scheme," he said, to which Scarlett simply nodded. "Great, I've been duped."

The two who were left, almost even in speed, began to rush past the first obstacle, and halted at the Swift Strikes. "Look," Angie said. "Neither of us want to die or be stabbed. Let's get through this obstacle on our own." The girls were left standing in front of the second part, trying to time out the traps.

Over with the Eagles, Scarlett dragged herself back. "Looks like we have a working plan so far," she said. "As long as Iris contributes, we should have the win."

"Of course," Luna said. "But should she fail, care to join me in voting her off?"

Scarlett thought about it. "Interesting proposal. Let me think about it."

* * *

**Scarlett: **"No chance."

* * *

Luna smiled. "Great. How about you, Kara?" She turned back to see Kara running off into what part of the woods was still above ground. "Oh no..." She proceeded to run off in the same direction, trying to stop Kara.

Iris and Angie had finally made it past the second part of the obstacle course. Angie and Iris both made a dart for the piston, and Iris ended up ducking earlier, causing her to be behind her competitor. Both of them made it through, but Iris was still in the back. Angie got ready to jump right off and take the pain, but Iris had caught up to her. "I'm sorry," Iris said, "but I have to win." Iris pushed Angie down right onto the trampoline. Angie bounced off, but slammed into the wall instead of landing on top. Iris grinned for a second, and realized that Angie had held onto the wall. "Ugh, fine," Iris said, jumping off the trampoline and getting ready to land.

Much to her surprise, Angie jumped backwards off the wall, and hit Iris, bringing them both down. But, since Angie had crashed into Iris, they both fell backwards, with Iris falling first. "No!" she called out, trying to do everything to get herself up top, but it was too late, as they both landed before Iris could do anything.

"Well, no one finished," Chris said, "but, it seems clear that Iris hit the water first, making Angie the last player standing. Meerkats win again!"

Paul and Jonathan let out sighs of relief, while Max seemed to celebrate a bit too. "You all...owe me," Angie said, out of breath as she walked back to her team.

Meanwhile, Iris returned to Scarlett and Sky. "Sorry," she said. "I seriously tried my hardest." She then realized she was only talking to two people. "Where are the others?"

"Not sure if you believe us," Scarlett said, "but Luna is off pursuing Kara over that cloth we found this morning." Iris nodded, as they began to walk back. Once Sky was out of earshot, Scarlett turned to her. "Look, I know you don't team up," she told Iris, "and you have very careful ways of collecting debts, but I must please insist that you do not vote in blind rage again."

Iris gave in. "I get it. We truly can take out Luna whenever we please. I do not want to hear your vote, but you have my word that I won't vote for Luna." Scarlett smiled, seeing her vision come to fruition.

* * *

**Iris: **"What choice do I have?" she asked. "Besides, if my intuition is correct, which it _always_ is, I surely am making the right choice."

* * *

"Chander!" Kara shouted, trying to plead with the co-host. "Why don't you believe me? I've laid out all of the evidence!"

"I cannot," Chander responded, ignoring the girl and focusing on his work. "If you have nothing else to say here, leave."

Kara was about to go, when they heard another voice. "Oh, she _won't_ have anything else to say, if she values her life." The two turned around to see Luna, swinging a rope around her arm.

Chander looked at Luna. "Kara has accused you of compromising my security system. What say you to that?"

Luna didn't respond, but instead, simply rushed forward and grabbed Kara, and threw her against the wall. Chander got up to try and fight her off, but she shoved him against his control panel, which caused him to land on a few buttons. Chander fell to the ground, as Luna tied Kara up and walked off. "Well, this has been a bit more than I was hoping for," Luna said to herself, looking at the damage. Luna dragged Kara to right outside the control room, and left.

Chander got up, holding his head. "Ugh, that hurt," he grumbled, until he turned around and saw what happened to the control panel. "Oh no..." He scrambled around and accidentally walked out the door, which shut behind him. He quickly turned around. "No, no, no! Oh, this is bad."

* * *

**Elimination 10**

"Aren't we missing a few people?" Chris said, walking up to the three Eagles that were present.

Scarlett raised her hand. "What will become of those who don't show up?"

"Eh," Chris said with boredom, "we only have a problem if one of them is eliminated. Which, they aren't. Luna and Kara are both safe." Iris began to look concerned, as did Sky, while Scarlett seemed confident, like this was under control.

Chris held up another marshmallow. "Scarlett, you are safe."

"As expected," Scarlett said. "After all, two people missed the voting."

"Actually," Chris said, "only one did. We have no whereabouts on Kara, but Luna voted. I just don't care where she is. Problem is, now we have a tiebreaker. Iris, Sky, time to duel!" A platform rose up to reveal a dock and two dueling sticks. "I believe this looks all to familiar."

Sky stood on one end while Iris was on the other. Chris gave a signal, and the two girls charged at each other. They were pretty evenly matched, when Iris realized something.

_"It has its...niche,_ _applications."_

Iris jumped back, and spun the dueling stick around. She then proceeded to jump, and with a strong swing in an arcing formation, Iris send the backhanded dueling stick right into Sky, who was knocked into the water by the momentum.

"Well, there it is," Chris said. "Sky, you're out."

Sky seemed upset. "Oh, come on! Where's Jonathan, anyway?"

"Chris!" someone shouted. "We have an issue!" Chander was seen running up to the host in clear desperation. "The control room is locked, and someone took out Kara! Problem is, I don't remember who. I hit my head too hard on the control panel, which may have accidentally activated the Flash Fire feature."

Chris seemed a bit petrified by this. "The one that-"

"Was able to build the volcano in Submerged instantly. We don't have a ton of time to shut it down," Chander finished.

Chris was pretty shocked by this, but tried to keep his composure. "Okay, first, we eliminate Sky now. Go get the Meerkats, I think." Chander nodded and ran off.

* * *

Sky was shot out of the cannon, and the Meerkats just arrived. "You guys voted off Sky? Really?" Jonathan complained.

"Sorry, had to be done," Iris said. "My intuition said so."

"So, what's this big issue?" Angie asked.

Chris shrugged. "You'll have to find out next time!" Everyone groaned. "Tune in for more fire, like, a lot more! And, maybe someone'll die. How's that sound? Hopefully it isn't me, next time on Total! Drama!" He was interrupted by a geyser of fire coming after him. "Gah!"

* * *

**Scarlett**: "Something about this situation feels all too similar, but this time...I don't like it. At all."

(END OF CHAPTER)

* * *

**Votes: Extreme Eagles**

**Iris: **"I guess maybe I can trust Scarlett. Just this once though. Sky."

**Kara: **Did not vote.

**Luna: **"I'm voting for Iris. It's about time I took care of this. Shame I had to get my hands a bit dirty."

**Scarlett: **"My vote is for Sky. I can feel the merge coming soon, and I do not want to have to deal with her. Luna's not a threat."

**Sky: **"I'm voting for Iris. She can't treat me like that, and I know Luna might join me."

**Total- Sky (2), Iris (2)**

**Eliminated: Sky (Tiebreaker)**

* * *

**Current Teams:**

**Extreme Eagles: **Iris, Kara, Luna, Scarlett

**Middle Meerkats: **Angie, Jonathan, Max, Paul

Elimination Order:

19th (kind of)- Chander, The Spooky Prankster

18th- Sugar, The Pageant Queen

17th- Norm, The Antisocial Genius

16th- Jasmine, The Outback Amazon

15th- Marty, The Con Artist

14th- Kayla, The Brat

13th- Flora, The Pacifist

12th- Ethan, The Anti-Villain

11th- Shawn, The Zombie Conspiracy Nut

10th- Lavender, The Nature's Child

9th- Sky, The Athlete

* * *

**Yeah, there's one finalist left in the game, who was asking? That just means almost everyone can win this.**

**Now, I left this on a bit of a cliffhanger, and now we have to start guessing. What will become of Kara? What's up with Scarlett and Iris? What does Scarlett know? I can reveal all of this next chapter, I think. Never quote me on these.**

**I don't want to give you too much info on such a cliffhanger, so that's where my notes end. Feel free to review (do it, please), and let me know who you think is going to go next! See ya!**


	12. The Fiery Facade

**We're at the 2/3 mark. Who's going today? But first, some replies.**

**Guest 1138- Yeah, this chapter is definitely gonna remind you of Scarlett Fever. But this time, everyone will be working together...kind of.**

**Candela Monsoon- The Eagles were an all girls team since Shawn's elimination. They started with only 2 guys and the team swap didn't add to that number. This is my first season with an unbalanced gender cast, with 11 girls to 7 guys. I still think it worked out pretty well.**

**Sephiria Arks- Well, this chapter will reveal something very big, and no one has guessed it yet. But yes, this is the big reveal chapter.**

**Now, into the action!**

* * *

Episode 12: The Fiery Facade

The island was erupting in fire. As far as it was visible, the island was shaking, and every once in a while, a tree would decide to let lose. Chris's narration began while he was out of frame. "So, uh, last time, funny enough, we had a water challenge! Yeah, I know. Sarah showed us how to not get hit by some stuff, and no one listened." The first clips were Sarah dropping from the sky and Kara falling in the water from the Shatter Slash. "So, after a fun day of water, I guess that Meerkats won again. The Eagles eliminated Sky, but that doesn't matter." The next clips were Angie dropping into the water with Iris below her, and Sky being shot out of the cannon. "Before the elimination, Kara when missing, and Luna also went missing, and we don't know where they are. Uh, Chander also told me that the island is going down if we don't do anything. So...I guess we'll do that today? Who's going to save us all? Will anyone? I sure hope so! Find out now on Total! Drama! Fiery Passion! Aaaah!"

* * *

**Opening Sequence**

[Various cameras began to appear in a similar way to the other seasons. The first one appeared out of a lily pad, which seemed to be mechanically connected to the water. Next, one came out of a tree, which spit out some fire as the camera popped out. The final one fell on top of the outhouse confessional, and exploded into a burning flame. The camera then began to fly as the opening played.]

_Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doing fine,_

[The camera arrived at a waterfall, where Shawn poked his head out, to see Jasmine waiting for him. He waved a signal as she went in.]

_You guys are on my mind,_

[Next to the waterfall, Marty stares at them with a scowl on his face. He picks up a stick, smirks at the waterfall, and snaps the stick.]

_You asked me what I wanted to be, and I think the answer is plain to see_

[The camera flies over the waterfall, where Sky is doing Olympic style jumps. She lands one perfectly, much to Jonathan's amazement. Iris runs by and smacks Jonathan over the head. Ethan laughs in the back as Jonathan fumes.]

_I wanna be famous!_

[The camera flies to a clearly mechanical mountain, where Paul and Angie are intensely competing. Angie barely beats him up the hill, which angers Paul.]

_I wanna live close to the sun_

[Lavender and Flora smile at each other as they run off. A hand reaches out to stop one of them.]

_Go pack your bags, 'cause I've already won_

[Lavender turns her head to see Scarlett. The quiet brainiac signals for Lavender to follow her instead.]

_Everything to prove, nothing in my way,_ _I'll get there one day_

[As Sugar tries her hardest trying to build something, she laughs at her own brilliance. Meanwhile, Norm fakes a fall, knocking it over. He gives the pageant queen a sheepish but fake smile.]

_I wanna be famous_

[Paul and Angie are seen in a hot race again, this time Paul has the lead. He skids to a halt and trips her, causing her to fall.]

_Na na nanana na, nanana na, nananananana_

[Kayla kicks the ground, evidently bored, while her sister, Kara, investigates a pipe spitting out fire on the others side. A ball of fire shoots by and ignites another pipe, which causes Kara to look back. Chander is seen blowing out ignition fuel.]

_I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous!_

[Various other high ranking, non-competing contestants appear in silhouettes, as fire shoots out from behind them. Some have items like swords or heavy weights in their hand. Others are just standing there in a menacing fashion.]

_I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous!_

[The scene zooms into the fire, which changes to a traditional campfire.]

_*Whistling*_

[Luna stares at Max with a bright green glow, while Max offers her a contraption he made. The psychic fixes it with her mind, which causes the others to glare at her as they whistle.]

* * *

Luna popped out from the stump that led to the entrance of the control room, and was very surprised by what was around her. She genuinely wasn't expecting this. "What the-" she muttered, before drawing a conclusion. "Oh, this must have happened when Chander slammed into that control panel. I gotta go fix it before they find Kara!" Luna rushed back into the stump to try and save herself the hassle.

When she got there, she found Kara, still unconscious, lying in tied up, white rope. "Better open this up." Luna tugged on the door, but it didn't open. "No, locked from out here? Ugh, if only I had an easy way to get in there." She held the grapple gun in her hand. "I suppose you won't bust through this strong metal, will you?" she asked the inanimate object. Then, she realized something else. "The others will come soon. I have to hide Kara." She took her teammate to a back corner to try and hide her.

* * *

**Luna: **"Make it just my luck that Chander wrecked the island. Now, I have to play nice with the others, and now I have to arrange a vote sooner than I would have liked."

* * *

"So, what's the big idea?" Paul asked Chris sternly. "You better know that I will only take honest answers."

Chander stepped forward. "Let me handle this. Someone, who I don't remember, threw me into my control panel, and when I went to notify you that this was happening, I got locked out of it. It won't self-destruct, but pretty soon a volcano is going to emerge from the center of the island, and that will be the only way through to stop it."

"So," Scarlett concluded, "our options are to build a fireproof suit that can get us through the lava, or try and get to outside the control room now."

Angie snickered. "Perfect, sounds like we can just make this a challenge and call it a day. No harm if we move out now."

Chris held his hand up. "Actually I-"

"No, that makes sense," Iris said. "It gives us more incentives us to help you, too."

Chris tried to defend himself again. "But I was going to-"

"Let's do it," Chander said. "Chris? Anything you want to add?"

Chris sighed. "Well, I was going to do it at a more convenient time, but you left me no choice but to do it now. No more teams, here's the merge." A few people gasped.

* * *

**Iris: **"What did I tell you? My intuition was perfect."

**Paul: **"Finally, back in the merge. No more teams, and I have a clear shot to the end of the game now. Who's gonna stop me, Luna?"

**Max: **"It's only expected that I make the merge again. After all, it was my own genius that got me here the first time. Now, let's hope Chris doesn't get any stupid ideas again."

* * *

Everyone began to run off to try and find the control area, but Chris held them up again. "One more thing," Chris said, "Scarlett, you are staying back with Chander and myself. You are _not_ going in there unsupervised."

"What?" Scarlett asked with hesitation. "B-but I'm the only one who knows how to get down there, unless they find Kara or Luna."

"Wait," Angie asked. "Kara and Luna know where the control room is, and they aren't here?" She shook her head. "That's too close to be coincidental. Something's up."

Scarlett looked at Chris sternly. "They need my help let me help them."

Chris shook his head again. "I can't allow it, but, here." He tossed Scarlett a walkie talkie, and tossed another one to the merged group. "Who do you want to hold onto the other one."

"Iris," Scarlett said, "and don't let Luna silence me if you find her." Iris nodded at the instructions she was given.

Chris shrugged. "Your funeral for giving the crazy one the life-saving device, but okay. Get to it!" Without anymore restrictions, the five who were permitted to leave started off for the control room."

* * *

"So, how do you know where this control room is, Scarlett?" Angie asked angrily, leaning into the communication device.

Scarlett sighed. "I intercepted Kara leaving from it. She claimed to be looking for the idol, but she wasn't." She then realized that she should direct them. "You need to find a tree stump in a clearing. The top of it is a hatch that can safely bring you near the entrance."

"Do we believe this?" Paul asked. "This _is_ Scarlett."

Iris nodded. "I trust her." A few people gasped, including Scarlett.

* * *

**Angie: **"So, the two people Iris trusts are some freaky half-alive sword man, and someone who was put in solitary confinement for the very situation we're in now. Nice."

**Scarlett: **"She really trusts me? I-I didn't expect that. Maybe...maybe I don't want to be the bad guy anymore."

* * *

The gang halted in front of a suspicious looking stump. "Think this is the one?" Paul asked poking at it. Eventually, with a light kick, it revealed that the top of it was actually a hatch.

"That's it," Scarlett's voice confirmed. "Now, I don't know what's going on once we get down there, so stay alert." Angie lifted the hatch all the way, and one by one, they all began to climb inside.

They were shocked by how the place looked. It was surreal to see the season they had been competing on controlled so artificially. "So, we need to find this entrance," Iris said. "Scarlett, any idea where it is?"

"Nope," Scarlett said. "I can tell you that you sound like you're in the right spot."

They had all began looking around, when Jonathan noticed something. "Hey, uh, I don't know what the meaning of this is, but there's some purple cloak with a bad sewing job here. Looks like we should take it. Maybe there's traps."

Max suddenly realized what they were holding on to. "Oh, that?" he asked innocently, running over and grabbing it. "You...don't need that. I'll hold onto it."

Jonathan took it back, holding it above his head so Max couldn't reach it. "Hold on," he said. "We should keep it, and the way you're acting with it, you aren't holding it."

"Guys?"

Everyone turned around to see Luna, who was super shocked to see them too. "W-what are you doing down here?"

"A challenge," Angie explained. "Chander broke a thing and now we have to get into the control room to stop it." She kept looking around the environment for a bit before coming to a realization. "Wait, you know your way around here," she told Luna with confidence.

Luna's eyes widened. "Absurd. I do not!"

"Scarlett told us," Paul said. "You and Kara, who we haven't found yet."

Luna panicked for a second, before taking a deep breath. "Right," she said. "Kara went to tell me about the challenge, actually. She said that she got to the door, but the key that normally unlocks it is on the surface still. We have to go back."

Iris stared her down. She didn't buy it. "That makes sense," she lied. "Why don't you come to the surface with us to look for it?"

Luna hesitated. "N-no, I'd hold you back. All of you are much faster than I am."

Paul scoffed. "Well, tough. It's a challenge, and we're not gonna let you camp here and take the win from us."

* * *

**Luna: **"Honestly? I can lie through this elimination ceremony," she admitted. "But, I cannot go back on that surface, and I need them gone. Unfortunately, they're willing to crumble with the island. So...ugh."

* * *

"Fine," Luna said in defeat. "I'll come with you." Everyone turned around to leave, when Luna grabbed onto Max and threw him back with her. "Which one has the cloak?" she hissed.

"Jonathan," Max answered.

Luna huffed. "Good. Now, stay back and deal with the...situation." Max nodded and wandered back.

* * *

By the time they were well into the woods, Iris spoke up. "Look, this isn't right," she argued. "Why would a key to a control room be hidden ages away from the actual site?"

"Security," Luna answered bluntly.

Iris perked up when a voice came through the walkie-talkie. "I'm still with Chris," Scarlett said. "I have a location for the key. It's in the rubble of the closest fire temple to you, about three hundred feet west."

Luna was shocked by the voice, and looked carefully at Iris. "What's...that?" she asked nervously.

Paul shrugged. "Uhhh, a walkie talkie."

Luna shook her head. "But where did you get it? Why is Scarlett speaking through it? Why-"

"Chris gave her that in exchange for her not participating. Security," Angie explained.

Iris began to really question Luna. "Nervous?" she asked. "It belonged to Chris."

Luna flipped her hair. "No. I'm fine."

* * *

**Iris:** "I'm starting to piece some things together," she said. "I'm going to be honest, I should have sliced her open in Area 51. Things are about to get real heated if my intuition is right. And, well, it always is."

* * *

The group got to a pile of rocks, which seemed very reminiscent of the second challenge. "This is it, alright," Jonathan said. "This is the big one." He began to throw rocks out of the way. "Why on Earth would Chander hide a key here?"

"Probably because he's learned from Chris, turning him a bit more evil," Paul said. "Right, purple man? Evil?" After a short time of silence, Paul turned around. "Huh, Max is gone."

"Got lost," Luna said. "Poor thing."

Scarlett's voice came out again. "Check in the center. There should be something there." After clearing a bunch more boulders, Paul and Jonathan lifted out of the ground a giant key.

"Scarlett?" Iris asked. "How big is this key supposed to be? Because it's massive."

"What?" Scarlett replied in shock. "It should be a normal key." After a brief silence, she spoke again. "How heavy is it?"

Paul tossed it in the air a few times. "Surprisingly enough, light as air. I think it's paper maché."

"Keep searching," Scarlett suggested. "The real one is nearby."

* * *

"Get up!" Max called out in the halls. "Reveal yourself!" After moving a bit more, he found who he was looking for Kara was just waking up, wrapped up in a clear white rope, making it almost appear as though she were simply immobilized. "Wake up!" he called out again.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm trying." Kara admitted groggily. "How did you find me?" She tried moving again, but it failed. "Ugh, these ropes are holding me down. Care to help?"

"Luna wants to know how to get into that room," Max demanded.

Kara scoffed. "Why don't you ask her yourself?" she countered. "She knows. She's trying to get rid of you for this challenge!" Max wasn't listening. "Look, break these ropes, and I promise your safety at this elimination, okay? If Luna wins, I can't guarantee that." After a bit of decision making time, Max broke the ropes. "Great," she said, pulling out the shard of Luna's cloak. "Get me to the others."

Max, surprisingly snatched the cloak shard out of Kara's hand, and ran off. "My deal is off!" he called out. "Evil doesn't save the world!"

"Evil's about to lose a million dollars, then," Kara said dryly.

* * *

The five continued surveying the area for a key. "Change of plans," Scarlett said, holding onto the walkie-talkie. "If you haven't found anything by now, Chris lied to me. I'd go back to the control room and look for an in before it's too late."

Chris sighed. "Oh, that ruins the fun!"

Scarlett gave him a very scary look. "You might want us to die, but I will guarantee that you go down with us if that happens!" Chris backed away slowly, nodding his head and allowing Scarlett to help them.

"Well, whatever works, I guess," Paul's voice came through the walkie-talkie. "Uh, I'm taking the key with me. Just in case."

Scarlett replied, "sure. But, don't lose sight of-" her sentence was stopped by the sound of static. "Hello?" She turned to Chris. "You will let me save your island. Now." Chris nodded. "Good. I'll catch that dirty culprit..."

* * *

"What gives?" Angie asked Luna who was running off. Luna had spiked the walkie-talkie into the ground. "No sense in trying to catch her. She's probably teleported halfway to the control room by now."

The group ran all the way back to the control room, when they found Scarlett. "I guess it was her," she admitted, clearly irritated. She addressed the few confused people in the crowd. "I intimidated Chris into letting me help you."

Jonathan lifted the stump. "Well, let's get in. The faster we can end this, the better."

Once they got back in, they heard someone call them. "Hey! Over here!" The five of them ran to the left to find Kara. "Glad I found you guys," she said. "I got taken out."

"By who? A trap?" Paul asked. "Thanks for the heads up."

"No," Kara said bitterly. "Luna." A few people gasped. "Yeah it was a bunch of transparent rope, and they were good knots. I couldn't move at all."

Iris stiffened. "Rope?" Kara nodded. Iris had figured it out. "We need to find Luna and take her out. Now."

* * *

Kara had led them right to outside the actual room. "This should be where we shut it off," she said. "I don't know how we're going to get in, though." She tried pulling at the door a few times, to no avail. "Ugh, that's a tough lock."

Angie gave it a few pulls before eventually giving up as well. "I hate to admit it," she said, "especially with the way we just denounced her, but Luna could get us in there easily."

"No!" Scarlett and Iris shouted at the same time.

Paul agreed with the two girls. "She'd probably take the win for herself. We don't know how much time we have before we need to shut this off, but there's still some, I bet."

Scarlett observed the locks closely. "We could find some way to break it, but that could trigger a security breach."

"No, it won't," Kara said. "I go in all the time, and Chander said his security is lowered, since he's had the thief." She grabbed a rock. "It hurts me to disrupt such a nice structure, but we need to get in."

* * *

"Behold!" Max proclaimed to Luna in a secret hallway. He held up a large number of fire bots. "This army of mine will prevent the others from getting in. Now, we need to only slip in and take victory!"

Luna smiled. "Excellent. Hold them off once they breech the door. I'll take care of them once they're scattered." She held up a new gun that fired string. She was about to leave, when she turned around. "Actually, I have a better idea." She shot Max with the gun, tying him up instantly. "I'll take the bots off of your hands," she said with a wave, bringing them all to her. "I have to take them out myself."

* * *

Paul slammed a rock onto the lock another time, putting another dent in it. "Man," he said, breathing loudly. "That's a sturdy lock."

Angie snickered. "Can't do it, strong man? Come on, a few more hits and we're in."

Paul reached up, and with all of his might, he slammed down onto the lock, putting all of his body weight into the lock. It was enough force to break it off. The instant the lock hit the ground, they all heard a buzzing sound. From hallways on either side, a swarm of fire bots flew in, circling around each other. "Nice thinking, Kara," Angie snarked.

Kara was shocked. "This wasn't supposed to happen!" she defended. "There was never this level of security before!"

"That's because this isn't the chamber's security," Luna said, walking in with them. Everyone gasped as she came in. "Yes, yes, surprise, I'm attacking you all. Look, I need immunity just as much as you do, so let me get in there while these guys hold you off, and I'll think about letting you free."

Scarlett looked at Paul. "Does that lock still work?" she asked.

Paul fiddled with it in his hands. "Yeah, it could go back on, but how much is that going to stop Luna?"

"It will," Scarlett said. Paul reached to put the lock back on, but Luna shrieked, causing all the fire to turn green on the fire bots. All of the sudden, Luna let out a few more cries, and Scarlett and Paul were now constricted of movement. "Now you've done it," Scarlett muttered.

Luna shrugged. "Cool. Anyone want to resist?" Iris charged for the lock and threw it on. Right after she successfully locked the door again, she got caught in the movement restriction as well. "No!" Luna cried out. "Get that lock off!"

Angie snickered. "You know, Paul was the only one who could break it off. Now, you've done some sort of restriction spell on him, or whatever." She looked at the door again. "Although, I'm not sure why a simple lock is hindering you from just teleporting in and winning.

Luna got right up in her face. "I don't need you to tell me what I can and cannot do! It's always been like that, and I'm tired of letting you all run my life!" She fired off the string gun again, tying up Angie and Jonathan.

Everyone was silent for a bit. "Yeah, I don't think any of us were going for that," Paul said. "We just figured that you would want the easy win."

"Sorry if we creased you," Jonathan said, "we were just thinking practically."

Scarlett scoffed at the others. "You will have none of my pity. Why don't you just _tell_ them why you don't want to teleport in there?" Luna backed off. "I'm not going to sit here in some 'immobilization' 'spell', while you try and tell us your life story, because whatever you tell us won't be true."

Luna tried to hide her fear by getting closer to Scarlett. "What will make the others believe it?"

Scarlett laughed. "Because I knew about everything that was going on this whole time! I knew about Iris's problem, I knew about Lavender, I knew how dysfunctional the Meerkats were at first, and I know _your _secret too! If you don't want me to say it, you'll say it first."

Luna began to run off, when Scarlett shouted again. "If you run, you won't have a chance to try and falsify something else." That stopped Luna immediately, but she still didn't speak. "Nothing?" Scarlett asked. "Well, I guess it's up to me."

Luna shouted to try and cut her off. "You wouldn't do-"

"Luna's not a psychic."

* * *

Chander was lying in the helicopter with Chris now, watching the challenge from above. "Did you know that?" Chander asked, trying to find a way to aerially subdue the inevitable lava flow.

Chris shook his head. "Nope. I got a little suspect after she asked me to come to Area 51 earlier than scheduled, but wouldn't you wanna get there early to check it out?"

Chander shrugged. "Yeah I guess. Still, I wonder if..." Chander looked out the window, and his eyes popped. "Oh no..."

* * *

"What do you mean, 'not a psychic'?" Jonathan asked. "What about all these fire spirits? The tree incident? Area 51?"

Kara figured it out. "Motion controls..." a few people turned her way. "Yeah! Chander said that the fire bots operate through motion controls, which is how she can make it look like she manipulated the fire! That's why you've been stealing all the stuff! I got you figured out!"

* * *

**Kara: **"I kinda guessed it once she tied me up. The rope was transparent, not to hide the fact I was immobilized, but to hide that it was rope at all! I didn't wan to say anything, because honestly, I'd look stupid if I went out and said that, and I was wrong."

* * *

Angie shook her head. "I'm still not buying it. What about the teleportation? I've seen nothing that makes that obvious."

"Because," Iris deduced, "someone's been building her gadgets all season, like her grapple gun! The only reason she'd care to put up with someone as unlikable as Max!"

Paul nodded. "That makes sense. He built that baseball bat thing all on his own, right?"

Scarlett stood up, having untied herself. "There's a problem with being found out, Luna," Scarlett said, standing over her. "It's that now we know how weak you are alone." She proceeded to untie Paul next, who had the giant key nearby. "And not only are you weak, but you're vulnerable too." She gestured to Paul. "Do it." Paul took the fake key and swung it at Luna's head, knocking her out.

After that, Paul stammered back a bit. "Yikes, that's the last of my energy," he muttered before leaning against a wall. "Not much else I can do." He then sat down to catch his breath.

Jonathan pulled at the lock a few more times. "So, he was the only one who could get in, right? Now he's down for the count."

Scarlett hesitated before letting out a loud sigh. "I know one person who could probably open that door. But knowing Luna, she probably tied him up somewhere too."

* * *

Everyone ran into a back closet on the other side of the chamber, and sure enough, the super villain was there. "There you all are," Max said, still confined in his ropes. "Would you be so kind as to let me out? Luna is most surely waiting for me."

"Dude, you're being played," Angie said bluntly. Max didn't register that at all. "Yikes, you need a reality check."

Iris untied him and picked him up. "Open a lock for us, and we'll give you immunity."

Jonathan tilted his head as he looked at Iris. "Seriously?" he asked. "What's that about?"

Iris laughed, dropping Max. "You'd all be fools to vote for anyone besides Luna, right?"

Max stood up at that moment. "I will not permit you to vote out Luna. Evil demands a minion, unless one of you would like to take over."

After a few moments of silence, all of the eyes in the room eventually landed on Scarlett. "No chance," she said bitterly. "I'm not teaming up with him again."

"Then, you don't get my services," Max said. "But thanks for letting me out. He walked out, leaving everyone else no choice but to head back to the lock.

"Any luck?" Paul asked, still resting on the ground. A few people shook their heads. "That stinks," he said. "What about these fire robot things? They could break the lock, I bet. A few people looked around them to find all the fire robots lying on the ground, with no motion from Luna to direct them.

Kara picked one up, as it didn't respond. "Their movements are tied to Luna, and until we get in the other room to change that, we won't get them off her command. Everyone was silent for a second before eventually all looking at Kara. "Oh, you can't be serious."

* * *

"I'm only doing this because I know how to work them the best," Kara muttered as she held Luna, trying to direct her arms. It was very weird for her to hold the limp body, especially knowing it might wake up at any moment. Once she gained enough control of the bots, she waved Luna's arm carefully toward the lock, where the heat of the bots slowly melted away the lock. Once it was hot enough, she directed the bots to push the hot lock off the door, which worked.

Everyone ran inside, and began to rapidly look for something to shut the lava off. While they were looking, they heard static on the signal. Once it cleared, it showed Chander in the helicopter. "Awesome, you made it," he said. "How about Luna, huh? We didn't know either." He got a few glares before Chander cleared his throat. "Okay, okay. There should be a red lever in the back closet. It will put all fire mechanisms completely offline."

Jonathan got to the back closet first, and pulled the lever. "Great, the island's safe," he said, before pausing. "So...did I get immunity?"

Chander gave a nervous laugh before resuming his instructions. "Yeah...about that. Immunity's gone. Chris said he already knows who he's eliminating. But, you might want to take a look at this." He changed their screen so they could see the surface. It was already completely covered in lava, leaving very little room to move. "I don't know how we're going to fix this, so, uh, just wait there."

Angie walked up to the screen. "So, you're telling us that we can't ever leave this control area or we die? You know someone won't make it out alive even if we _do_ finish this issue up in time."

"We...didn't finish in time," Scarlett clarified. She paused a bit before figuring something out. "That means we need to build something fireproof, and quickly. If we can get just one person up to the surface, we can subdue the lava."

"How, exactly?" Jonathan asked. "Everything we should need would be down here, right?"

Scarlett pointed to a map of the island. "There's a switch that coats the island in water for an hour. Once we find it, we just need to wait a bit." She paused for a second. "The only issue is...it's on the surface. We need something that can withstand heat for at least twenty minutes."

"The fire bots," Paul suggested. "Could we direct them to pull the lever for us?" Kara shook her head. "Well, the only thing I know that could take this lava is the bunker the Eagles lived in.

At that moment, Scarlett lit up and ran to the main panel of the control room. "Uh, oh, someone has an idea..." Iris said with caution.

Scarlett began hitting away. "Surely Luna planned a failure," she explained. "She's dumb enough to keep her existence a secret, but not dumb enough to not have a backup plan." She picked up the signal from the area the bunker was in. "I have signal. There are bots in the bunker that I can control from here."

Jonathan observed the height difference from where the bunker was to the button to stop it. "How do you plan on getting down that far? That bunker floats."

Scarlett gave them all a nervous smile. "Have you all seen that fish movie?" Everyone gave her a very blank stare. "That one scene, where they all swim down, bringing the net with it? Yeah, I'm trying that. I don't know how much power these things have."

"That'll work," Chander said from the communication system. "They're strong enough. But...you'll probably collapse the bunker under all that pressure."

The former Eagles looked at each other with determination. "Let's sink our home, then," Iris declared. Scarlett pulled on the switch as hard a she could, causing the bots to push the bunker down. They were small, but there was a lot of them. Eventually, it started to move. Paul, Angie, and Jonathan looked closely at the moving bunker. Max sat in a corner, bored, and Luna was still knocked out in the hallway.

Through enough time, the bunker eventually pressed the button nearby, causing water to start pouring out of the same place the lava was. "That should do it," Scarlett told them. "We just have to wait an hour and we'll be out." She sighed in relief. "What a traumatizing night."

Paul let out a chuckle. "You know, Flora was right about you," he said. "So was Lavender."

Scarlett gave them a smile. "I...I guess so."

* * *

**Angie: **"Well, considering our tree fort is made of wood, it's safe to assume that thing is gone. Guess it's better that this challenge was at night, then."

**Kara: **"I'm still so impressed I at least kind of figured out Luna," she said proudly. "Maybe there's still a shot for me after all. Though, now everyone knows about this place."

* * *

After an hour, the hatch to the surface was kicked open. The sun was rising on them as they all came out of the bunker. "Well, this is not fun to look at," Jonathan admitted, looking around. The entire area was singed with ash, and everywhere around them had a much darker aura.

"Seems like fake trees still burn to a crisp here," Paul said, poking at one. "This looks like a real forest fire aftermath."

Iris walked over to the site of the bunker. Sure enough, it was completely flattened. "There goes all of that," she muttered. "Well, I guess the show has to go on still, right?"

"Yeah, we all made the merge," Angie said. She then let out a confident exhale. "It's good to be back."

At that moment, a helicopter dropped a ladder down. "Well, I guess that's a challenge," Chris said. "I guess, not like it matters, but Scarlett technically gets immunity for ending the crisis."

"Not like it matters?" Angie asked. "This is _not_ going to be for a reward. We worked for this."

At that moment, the hatch opened again. "You!" Luna shouted, pointing at Paul. "You'll pay for what you did to me!"

Paul laughed. "With what? Your fake powers? Okay." Luna growled and stormed off.

"Someone make sure she comes to the elimination ceremony tonight," Chris told them. "I want her to see this." Everyone grinned, and walked off, trying to figure out where they would stay.

* * *

**Elimination 11**

The eight remaining campers all sat at the fire, which was happening in the daytime since the challenge was at night. Scarlett and Iris sat next to each other, with Paul and Angie next to them. In the front, Luna sat far from everyone, even Max, and Jonathan and Kara sat on the other end. Chris walked over to them with seven marshmallows. "Did you say you decided who was going?" Jonathan asked. "Does it actually matter who gets a marshmallow? We didn't even vote."

Chris smiled at them. "This is for tension! You probably are going to be caught off guard by this!"

* * *

**Scarlett: **"Those are not words I want to hear when everyone expects Luna to leave."

**Luna: **"Those are the sweetest words I've heard anyone say. Perhaps I still am in this."

* * *

Chris tossed out the first two marshmallows. "For stopping the crisis, and stopping the first part, Scarlett and Jonathan are safe." The two caught their marshmallows, Scarlett looking very relieved, while Jonathan seemed to have expected it.

Chris tossed out two more marshmallows. "Paul, Angie, I'm not entirely sure what you did, but it wasn't bad, so you are safe."

"I knocked out Luna!" Paul argued while grabbing his safety symbol. "That has to be-" He then stopped. "Actually, I'll just take this and be happy."

Chris tossed out another marshmallow. "Max, I might get sued if I try and eliminate you like this, so take this and be happy with it." Max grinned as he learned that he got to stay. "Iris, you too, I guess." Chris tossed Iris the marshmallow, while Iris didn't seem to want it, tossing it aside.

Luna began to look a bit nervous, as did Kara. "Yeah, both of you are in real hot water," Chris told them. "Stealing from Chander, making Chander let you use stuff, personally involving yourself with the higher-ups. After DJ's stunt in season two, we have to be real careful about all that kind of stuff, so...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...Kara, you're out," Chris said, tossing Luna the final marshmallow. Everyone except Luna seemed to have seen this coming.

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense," Kara said defiantly, "but Luna? How were my transgressions worse than hers?"

Chris shrugged. "Honestly, I was gonna get rid of Luna, but I just learned that she's harmless! How awesome is that?"

Scarlett tried to feign a lie. "N-no, I was kidding, she's a psychic!"

Iris tried to chime in. "Yeah, what about my shutdown a few days ago?"

Luna stood up. "It's a pressure point in the back of your head that I used to tie to events from earlier in the day. Honestly, if we are going back that far, it's probably Quaoar's fault that you lost it."

Iris growled at her. "No it isn't! Chris! Eliminate her!"

"Sorry," Chris said, all eliminations are final."

* * *

After Kara was shot out of the cannon, everyone turned to Luna. "Well, now you're out of allies, Luna," Jonathan said with a laugh. "Have fun trying to stay in the game."

"I have Max," Luna declared. "And you'll never break our bond!" Max hesitated for a second, but still walked over to Luna's side.

* * *

**Scarlett: **"Well, I certainly hoped Max was a bit smarter than _that_," Scarlett admitted. "I guess it's up to me to show him the light."

* * *

Chris was now in Chander's control room as Chander fiddled with a bunch of things, trying to get them to work again. "A villainous reform, and a scary lava storm! Who's next to go? And who's winning the show? Find out next time on Total! Drama! Fiery Passion!"

(END OF CHAPTER)

* * *

**Votes: Merge**

**No votes**

**Eliminated: Kara (Chris's decision)**

* * *

**Current Teams:**

**Merge: **Angie, Iris, Jonathan, Luna, Max, Paul, Scarlett

Elimination Order:

19th (kind of)- Chander, The Spooky Prankster

18th- Sugar, The Pageant Queen

17th- Norm, The Antisocial Genius

16th- Jasmine, The Outback Amazon

15th- Marty, The Con Artist

14th- Kayla, The Brat

13th- Flora, The Pacifist

12th- Ethan, The Anti-Villain

11th- Shawn, The Zombie Conspiracy Nut

10th- Lavender, The Nature's Child

9th- Sky, The Athlete

8th- Kara, The Curious Girl

* * *

**Wow, this interestingly enough, was the shortest chapter. Still a lot happened.**

**We learned a lot about Luna today. Yeah, this was actually a new thing I decided to implement this season. I had written Karon and Submerged like she was actually a psychic, but a villain with no plot attached to them is boring. We'll learn more about Luna in the future. Who's going to predict that future? Well, not Luna.**

**Kara was really fun to write this season. Having Chander as a co-host gave her an actual plot instead of just stringing along like she did for a lot of Karon. And, now that she's eliminated, all current contestants have not been in a finale before. It's open season.**

**Did Luna surprise you? How do you think Scarlett will do now? Now that she's reformed for real, I guess I will note officially that yes, Luna is the season's antagonist. So, let me know who you think is the next to go in the reviews, and I'll see you next time!**


	13. From the Ashes

**Replies, burnt to a crisp.**

**Sephiria Arks- Well, like I said, the first two seasons I wrote as though she actually was. I didn't actually plan out that she wasn't going to not be a psychic until this one.**

**Guest 1138- In the second episode of Pahkitew, Max proved his mechanical prowess, and I wanted to build on that a lot this season, so he's been building stuff in secret all season. Seems like you're pretty strong on that finale. Let's hope it holds.**

**Candela Monsoon- I've only seen one other fic where Scarlett isn't just a maniac for as long as she's around, so I wanted to try something different. And, at this point, most plots are wrapping up, so I'd think it's really anyone's game at this point.**

**The first real merge challenge...who's going to win?**

* * *

Episode 13: From the Ashes

The island was still completely burnt. Not even artificial leaves were visible from the area around Chris. Chris, however, began with his usual bright and cheery intro. "Last time, on Total Drama," he began, "we had...some issues with our systems." The first clip was Chander locking himself out from the episode prior, and Luna knocking out Kara. "While everyone else worked to stop the fire, I stopped Scarlett, and Luna dug herself into a hole. After some intense convincing, Scarlett joined up with the rest of the group, who had been misled by Luna...and myself. Come on, you have to make your own fun around here." The next clips were Paul pulling out the giant fake key, and Luna putting Max into a bunch of string. "What no one expected happened at the climax of the challenge, when Scarlett revealed that Luna has no real powers? Yeah, even we were shocked." Luna trying to save herself was the next clip, right before she got hit by Paul and the key. "With enough eventual strategy and teamwork, the few who actually worked toward the goal succeeded, other than Kara, who was eliminated for having an advantage the whole game." The final clip was Kara being eliminated and shot from the cannon.

"We have seven campers left," Chris said. "Angie, Scarlett, Max, Luna, Iris, Jonathan, and Paul. Which one of them fall short of the million today? Who's going to dig up new tricks? Where are any of them going to sleep tonight? Find out now, on Total! Drama! Fiery Passion!"

* * *

**Opening Sequence**

[Various cameras began to appear in a similar way to the other seasons. The first one appeared out of a lily pad, which seemed to be mechanically connected to the water. Next, one came out of a tree, which spit out some fire as the camera popped out. The final one fell on top of the outhouse confessional, and exploded into a burning flame. The camera then began to fly as the opening played.]

_Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doing fine,_

[The camera arrived at a waterfall, where Shawn poked his head out, to see Jasmine waiting for him. He waved a signal as she went in.]

_You guys are on my mind,_

[Next to the waterfall, Marty stares at them with a scowl on his face. He picks up a stick, smirks at the waterfall, and snaps the stick.]

_You asked me what I wanted to be, and I think the answer is plain to see_

[The camera flies over the waterfall, where Sky is doing Olympic style jumps. She lands one perfectly, much to Jonathan's amazement. Iris runs by and smacks Jonathan over the head. Ethan laughs in the back as Jonathan fumes.]

_I wanna be famous!_

[The camera flies to a clearly mechanical mountain, where Paul and Angie are intensely competing. Angie barely beats him up the hill, which angers Paul.]

_I wanna live close to the sun_

[Lavender and Flora smile at each other as they run off. A hand reaches out to stop one of them.]

_Go pack your bags, 'cause I've already won_

[Lavender turns her head to see Scarlett. The quiet brainiac signals for Lavender to follow her instead.]

_Everything to prove, nothing in my way,_ _I'll get there one day_

[As Sugar tries her hardest trying to build something, she laughs at her own brilliance. Meanwhile, Norm fakes a fall, knocking it over. He gives the pageant queen a sheepish but fake smile.]

_I wanna be famous_

[Paul and Angie are seen in a hot race again, this time Paul has the lead. He skids to a halt and trips her, causing her to fall.]

_Na na nanana na, nanana na, nananananana_

[Kayla kicks the ground, evidently bored, while her sister, Kara, investigates a pipe spitting out fire on the others side. A ball of fire shoots by and ignites another pipe, which causes Kara to look back. Chander is seen blowing out ignition fuel.]

_I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous!_

[Various other high ranking, non-competing contestants appear in silhouettes, as fire shoots out from behind them. Some have items like swords or heavy weights in their hand. Others are just standing there in a menacing fashion.]

_I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous!_

[The scene zooms into the fire, which changes to a traditional campfire.]

_*Whistling*_

[Luna stares at Max with a bright green glow, while Max offers her a contraption he made. The psychic fixes it with her mind, which causes the others to glare at her as they whistle.]

* * *

The episode opened with the sun beating down on the scorched camp. And eventually found Iris pounding away on some metal. "That ought to be the last of it," she said, jumping down from the metal she had been hitting. The camera zoomed out to show that she had been working on a new bunker, which was big enough to hold everyone left in the game.

"Chris and Chander cannot guard that junk pile for their life," Angie said with a laugh, tossing in her stuff she managed to salvage. "Chander was half-asleep when he tried to out-run us. It was kinda funny."

As they were laughing and chatting, Luna approached them, alone. "I take it there's no room for myself or Max in there?"

Jonathan was busy throwing up a door that was crafted from sticks and rope. "Oh, there's room," he said. "Just because you tried to kill us again, doesn't mean we're just going to let you die."

Paul laughed as Jonathan said that last part. "Besides, you're powerless, right? You could get eaten by an animal outside, and I don't know if Chris would carry on with the show if that happened."

Luna growled as she stormed off. "Ugh, you people are the _worst! _Have any of you seen Max? I want to talk to someone who's bearable."

Everyone looked around, and surprisingly enough, did not find him nearby. "Guess he's thinking about what you did," Angie said. "Or not. He's pretty dumb."

* * *

**Paul:** "Who am I most concerned about in the final seven?" He asked the camera. "Iris. She's broken past two mental shutdowns, and is still steamrolling over the competition. I'm going to have to be very careful as I move forward."

**Angie: **"My biggest problem?" she asked nobody. "Max. He's a wild card now, and I know where everyone else's loyalties lie. Luckily, I have a plan that'll shock _my_ current target."

* * *

Max screamed a few times as he was pulled on a rope to the top of a tree. "Must you insist on meeting in such a ridiculous place?" he snapped at the other person there. "You always were a thorn in my side!"

Scarlett let out a yawn as she finished pulling the super villain to the top of the tree. "Apologies, but with everything burnt down, up high is the only safe place to meet." She let out a sigh. "This is going to sound weird coming from me, but you need to steer clear of Luna, now."

Max let out a laugh as he smirked in Scarlett's face. "You had your chance with me!" he told her, causing Scarlett to gag as Max continued. "You're jealous, and now I have the upper hand!"

Scarlett stared at him blankly, in a state of shock, before eventually shaking her head and replying. "You don't realize that she's been running your entire game, and will crush you almost perfectly in the finale? You are her only source of help in the game. It's up to you to stop her."

Max laughed again. "You wouldn't possibly understand the amount of evil that flows through my mind! It outdoes my sidekick's by miles! After all, you lost all of your evil!"

Scarlett sighed before giving up. "Well, I did my best to convince you." She prepared herself to get down from the tree, before deciding to cut the rope instead. Max immediately lost his balance, and Scarlett watched with a smile on her face as he plummeted toward the ground. "Eh, maybe I still have a bit of evil left in me."

* * *

Once everyone was settled into their new living space, five of the remaining members, everyone but Luna and Max, were hanging out in the main part of the bunker. They were all laughing at something Paul was talking about, except for Jonathan. "It was an honest mistake!" Jonathan tried to defend. "Had that worked, I might have made the finale off of allies!" The event was likely Jonathan's elimination in Karon Island.

"But, it didn't work," Angie told him. "Listen, Venom Boy, you tried your best, but the cutthroat look doesn't work for you." She leaned back. "Luna's been doing pretty well at it, though," she said. "Scarlett you did well with it for a while too." Scarlett rolled her eyes. "How'd that talk with max go?"

Scarlett let out an annoyed sigh. "He's delusional," she said bluntly. "He cannot see the blatant lying and deceit in front of him." She got up. "Maybe I'll try and make Luna slip. That might be easier. She's been on edge since we exposed her."

"If she wins the challenge," Paul pointed out, "we end up losing one of us." Everyone stared at him for a second. "Really? Did you want me to lie and say I'd rather fight one of you than Max in the finale?"

Scarlett opened the door. "It couldn't hurt to be a little dishonest," she told Paul. "Unless you are speaking to Luna. Remind her that she will lose at all times." At that, she closed the door in search of the fraudulent psychic.

Her search was cut very short very quickly, by the air horns going off around them. "Attention, merged losers! Get ready to put your thinking caps on! And maybe some running shoes. It's an all-around doozy today!"

"That's annoying," Jonathan said, getting up and ready for the day. "You'd think we'd get a little bit more than a one-day break. We hardly had time to finish the new bunker."

* * *

The final seven stood out by Chris at the meeting area, and awaited their instructions. Chander was rolling up a screen, as Scarlett leaned into Luna. "Max is having doubts," she said. "He's delusional, so he won't admit it, but sometimes you know." Luna scoffed and simply looked away.

Chris finally got to the group and stood in front of them. "Welcome, and as you can see, we are lacking in shade of any kind. More likely than you noticing that, you probably realized that you don't have a shelter anymore, thanks to your feats in our...surprise challenge."

Jonathan raised his hand. "Actually, we-"

"So," Chris continued, interrupting Jonathan, "We will be spending today to create the most powerful phoenix-type metaphor we could ever make. And, since our co-host is lacking in the 'power' department," everyone looked over as Chander dropped something that looked like it was about ten pounds, "we need some backup on that. Thus, today's cameo!"

Everyone watched someone drop from the sky, and almost superhuman-like, slam into the ground, unharmed and unscathed. They stood up, and as the dusty ash around him finally settled, Helio stood there, with a full feeling of power. "Hello camper," he said in his deep monotone voice. "I lead challenge now."

Helio walked over to grab a pile of orange feathers, but Chander ran over and snatched them first. "Let's be safe," he said hesitantly, "these are important to the challenge."

Chander began to hand out a feather to each person as Helio explained what was on a board behind them. "You need build structure," he told them. "Must use feather. No use feather, no win. Use feather, maybe win. Good?"

Everyone stared at each other. This had definitely been the shortest explanation for a challenge they had gotten. Some appeared to be expecting more. "Uh, anything else?" Jonathan asked hesitantly. "Any more details? At all?"

Chris laughed. "No, that probably summed it up. But, remember that this is an individual challenge. If you're caught building someone else's, well, actually just Luna's shelter, or helping at all, you will be out of the challenge." Everyone nodded, and Luna seemed to stomp her foot. "Good. Get to it, and don't help Luna." With that short explanation out of the way, everyone scrambled to begin building something.

At that moment, everyone also paused, realizing that it would be hard to make something with what was actually left on the island. Paul broke off from everyone else first, sprinting in the other direction. Angie caught sight of this quickly. "He's going for Chander's junk pile!" she called out. Getting the same idea, everyone ran in the exact same direction. Everyone except Scarlett.

"I don't require that pile," she said, picking up some ashes and looking at the singed trees around her. "I have everything I need. Except...maybe a tool to make this go faster." With a sigh of admitted defeat, she too made her way in everyone else's direction.

* * *

Paul got to the pile first, given his speed and the proximity in which he left. Chander was already waiting for him there, though. "Yeah, you'll want to watch your step," he said smugly. "I loaded this place up with traps. Have at it."

Paul let out a snarl as he began carefully making his way up the pile. He found a long metal pipe, and tossed it aside. When the pipe hit the edge of the pile, and explosion went off, and several things came flying at Paul, who ran off into the woods. He eventually made his way to a tree, and leaned up against it, catching his breath. "No way am I go going back there," he lamented. "I guess it's up to what I can find here."

Paul encountered a tree, and tried ripping the metal bark off of it. Because of its singed state, it was relatively easy to remove, and Paul got a lot of it before heading to a location to build.

Back at the pile, everyone was arriving. "I detected an explosion," Luna said. "One has happened here recently. We ought to be careful."

Iris ran right past them. "I don't need powers to know that this place is trapped," she said with determination. She ran right up to the center, and found a large pile of wood that was neatly bundled. Starting off, she threw a rock at it, and it exploded, causing Iris to jump back in surprise. What surprised her more was that the wood still existed after the explosion. Iris picked it up this time, and ran off, decided that she'd come back to the pile whenever she needed to.

Scarlett was next to approach the pile. She inspected it before she was actually moved forward. She noticed a shovel and hammer on opposite sides, and decided to go after the shovel, since ashes would move more efficiently that way. Chander began to laugh. "You won't outrun what I have now!" he said, waving his arms up.

To everyone's surprise, a huge swarm of the tiny fire robots began to circle him. "Hey, Luna, isn't this cool?" he asked with the utmost sarcasm. "It's like I have powers. Cool, huh?" Luna growled and charged right toward him, to which Chander threw his arm forward. All the bots began shooting tiny fireballs at Luna, who got hit by them all, falling back and hitting the ground.

Max actually ran forward, and while it looked like he was initially going to go help Luna, he ran right past her and grabbed a sleep powder gun that he had made earlier. "Thief!" he called out at the co-host. "You will regret the day you attempt to cross my evil mind!"

Chander was actually slightly intimidated by this. "Okay," he said, calling back all of the bots to his arms. "Let's cut a deal. I'll let you grab some things, and you can not blast me with that." Max grabbed his building supplies and moved out. This gave Scarlett time through the whole interaction to grab both of the tools she needed, while Luna at least had a chance to run off.

Meanwhile, Angie and Jonathan stood there, observing the whole chaos that unfolded. "Yeah, I'll go find something somewhere else, hopefully," Jonathan said, walking off.

* * *

**Angie: **"Max blatantly neglected Luna's safety. Did what Scarlett said get through to him?" She leaned on the wall and let out a loud groan. "Ugh, I hate having to make sure Max coincides with my plans. It'd be easier to get rid of him. But, Paul's right. I want Max in my finale."

* * *

Paul slammed a piece of metal into the ground, to which it promptly fell over. "This is just amazing," he sad sarcastically. How on earth am I supposed to actually manage getting things in the ground when it's all so burnt the dirt doesn't bend?" Why couldn't this challenge have been any easier?"

Scarlett caught wind of his words and approached him. "You need some tool to get into the ground first. You can't brute force your way through this challenge." She held out her shovel. "I will only need this briefly. You may have it when my obligations with it are complete."

Paul eyed up the shovel for a second, before dropping back and throwing his hands up defensively. "Nuh-uh, I know that there's a price on that shovel."

Scarlett shrugged. "I wasn't going to offer one, but if you want to refuse for now, that's fine. Just let me know when you're ready for it." Paul angrily stood there as she walked off, Scarlett showing no emotion as she left.

* * *

**Scarlett: **"I could have asked for his assistance in getting rid of Luna," she admitted. "But I stand to the fact that I can eliminate her whenever I want. Also...if Luna leaves, I might be next. Keeping her here is...strategic, for now."

* * *

Scarlett arrived at her building site, and sighed. "I would have like to use some greenery, but this island burnt everything." She sighed again as she looked out to the water. "Maybe there's some left..." Scarlett bolted off toward the beach while everyone else began building.

Jonathan arrived back, holding with him a few buckets of water. "Hope this works," he muttered. He began to drop the ashes in the water to see what happened. Funny enough, the metallic ashes worked almost like sand, which pleased Jonathan immensely. He picked some out and began to sculpt with what he had found.

"Whatcha got there?" someone asked from behind the Karon villain. "Sand castle? That doesn't scream phoenix to me."

Jonathan grumbled. "Angie, I don't need this right now. I'm not concerned about my place in the game, so just leave me be."

Angie chuckled. "You want me to leave? But I have important information about Sky's elimination." Jonathan instantly shifted his focus toward Angie. "Good. I thought that would work. You really don't check the votes?"

"I did when it was my team, but I quickly realized I was never voted for."

"Huh," Angie pondered. "Well, anyway, Scarlett and Iris did it. Luna gunned for Iris that night."

"What?" Jonathan asked, slightly angry now.

Angie nodded. "Yeah, Luna wanted to take her chance at a tiebreaker, since Kara was gone and all. Guess it didn't work out." She was about to leave, but then turned back. "You seen Luna? I wanted to speak with her."

Jonathan stood up himself, and began to walk in the other direction. "No, but if you see Iris, tell her I want to speak."

* * *

**Angie: **"Revenge really doesn't look good on the poison man," she said. "But once Luna and Scarlett are gone, I might be up next. I can't let that happen."

* * *

"You!" Jonathan shouted, grabbing Scarlett's attention. Scarlett had already completed a large amount of her structure. She had shaped the ashes around her feather to resemble the bird in question. "What's the green stuff?" he asked much more calmly.

Scarlett grunted as she pulled more out of a bucket. "Seaweed. I was hoping some amount of artificial greenery existed, but I ended up with the slimy real greenery." She threw more at the base of her structure. "What did you want? You seemed angry."

"Why did you boot Sky out?" Jonathan asked angrily.

Scarlett tilted her head. "Because she was an athletic threat? I don't see why I am in the wrong for it. Kara told Iris about your budding relationship, Iris told me, and I decided that I want to be as safe as possible in the merge."

"Ugh, whatever," Jonathan said, still clearly upset. "Where did you find the greenery?"

"Beach," Scarlett said blandly, as Jonathan headed off. She continued to place more seaweed as the bottom of her structure. "Yuck, this stuff is gross."

* * *

Paul dumped a pile of dry ashes on top of a metal box. "How am I supposed to do symbolism?" he asked. "I do brute force. There's no symbolism in that." He began to meander around his area as he thought about a useful way to make a phoenix. "Wait a minute...that might work." Paul then ran off to grab something from the bunker.

When he arrived back at the bunker, he saw Iris lying on the table. "Uh...what are you doing?" he asked. Iris did not respond, as she continued to staring at the ceiling. "Are you participating in the challenge?"

"Leave," Iris finally said. "I'm building."

Paul walked slowly to his bags, and pulled out the giant key from the battle with Luna. "Yeah...okay, I think I'll let you go then."

Once he left, Iris got off the table, and walked outside. She went to the back of the bunker, where she observed her structure. It was a metallic work of the cannon of shame, with a metal Luna inside it. "I can't wait for this," she muttered. She took the feather out of her pocket and placed it in the metal Luna's hair. "That's good," she said. "Now, to make sure it doesn't get stolen." Iris sat down and began to stare down her structure, making sure everything stayed in place.

* * *

Paul ran over to Scarlett, out of breath, and still carrying the giant key. "Permission for the shovel?" he asked. "I'll get you whatever you want. I need to get the metal in the ground badly."

Scarlett handed the shovel over to him. "Sure thing. No cost."

Paul understood what she meant. "Do you need a vote?" he asked. "I can do that for you tonight."

"No," Scarlett answered. "Just have fun with the shovel."

"Thanks?" Paul finally agreed, leaving with the shovel. Behind him, Angie scowled. \

She continued making her way toward Luna, who had quite the structure assembled. Many pieces had the illusion of floating in the air, and they were all doused in green paint. "Wow, you're really going out with a bang, huh?"

Luna sighed. "Don't mock me. This challenge is important to me."

"I know," Angie said, "which is why I wanted to make a deal with you. You help me win, and I keep you safe."

"Why would you do that?" Luna argued. "Keeping me here is putting you in danger."

Angie laughed very loudly for a bit before shaking her head. "Oh, no it isn't. Look, just vote with me, yeah?" Luna nodded her head. "Good, now make my structure do this." Angie pointed to Luna's semi-floating contraption. "I want psychic powers too." Luna grumbled as she began to make her way to Angie's structure.

* * *

Max threw down all his materials. He had a piece of wood, three shovels, and a long strip of metal. "How to best use this for evil...he pondered. Eventually, he settled on something. First, he took his metal strip and laid it on the ground. Then, he began trying to put the shovels into the metal. However, each time he slammed the tools into the metal, his efforts backfired on him, sending himself and the shovels to the ground. "Curses, I shall defeat you, puny sticks with knives on them!"

As he attempted to throw a shovel in again, Luna walked by with Angie. "Max," she offered, "would you care to assist me with assisting Angie? It's crucial to our relationship."

"I can't," Max responded honestly, "I'm very busy with these inhumanly strong shovels!" He slammed another shovel into the metal, only to be tossed off again."

Luna took a deep breath, and decided to try again. "Max, dear, I don't think you're quite comprehending the situation."

Max slammed and failed again, and finally looked up. "Luna, I would appreciate your help as well. They found you out, so we need to have more agreements."

Luna decided to give up on trying to reason with the super villain. "Fine, have at...whatever you're doing. But know that you're on thin ice," she told him warily. "One misstep and it could be it for you."

"Fine!" Max shouted back. Luna eventually walked off with Angie, who was very perplexed by the whole situation.

* * *

**Angie: **"I kinda figured that if Luna was faking her powers she was faking the dating thing with the gremlin," she admitted. "But I don't know why she insists on keeping up the ruse."

**Max: **"I'm starting to think that there was some truth to _vile_ Scarlett's words. I think she may be jealous, but I will insist on getting to the bottom of this!"

* * *

"Okay," Angie said, "Luna, you have to tell me. We were teammates back in that first season, and you outdid me last one. What's with the fake psychic thing? Did you try making friends?"

Luna turned away. "I don't need to tell you. You're not worth telling."

"But," Angie countered, "I'm the only one who's going to listen."

Luna considered her proposal for a second, then gave in. "My life used to be interesting, you know," Luna told Angie. "I used to have a lot of money, too."

"Lost it, huh?" Angie asked. "Guess that's why you came here."

Luna sighed. "More than that," she said. "I had a job. I was a child actress for ages. Did big movies and stuff."

Angie was shocked to hear this. "That's impressive and all...but, I've never seen you in anything. I've watched my fair share of movies."

"One of my mom's crazy exes bought every last copy and destroyed every movie. Producers never found out, and assumed it was just lack of interest no one bought them. So...they stopped making copies of the movies, and then, they connected all of that to me."

"But, it wasn't you."

"Right," Luna affirmed. "But, unfortunately, no one else put the pieces together, and I never did another movie after that. So, I lived from eleven years and up as a boring nobody who everyone didn't like, because they never believed me. So, when I came here, I found my chance. I could make everyone believe."

Angie began to piece things together. "So Scarlett probably figured all that out when she dug dirt up on everyone."

"She did," Luna confirmed again. "I've been living a lie for two and a half seasons, and I got away with all of it." She sighed, as she began to rope up Angie's structure with the transparent ropes. "You better be thankful," Luna said bitterly. "This is the last of my material. I'm on my own after this."

Angie watched her structure appear to defy logic. "I am thankful," she said. "Not about this, not really, but I'm thankful that you'd actually tell me that. If it's any consolation, I believe your story."

"Thanks," Luna said, staring off into the distance.

* * *

**Luna: **"That was the first truth I've told all season," she admitted. "...I hated it. So much I lied right after it. I have a lot of material left, and I won't let it go to waste."

* * *

Almost as soon as Angie's structure was finished, the speakers blared, causing everyone to perk up. "Get ready to present!" Chris announced. "Helio, Chander and I will be the judges, so get ready to impress, or you might be out!"

Everyone gathered at the first structure, which belonged to Iris. "I don't have a name for it," Iris admitted, "but this is my thing I made." She pointed up at her structure, which was the same replica of the cannon of shame, with Luna inside it. "The metaphor is how I'm going to rise from my struggles and take down the witch, and the feather is in her hair, as a tribute to Flora, to streamlined the whole 'boot Luna' campaign." She shuddered after finishing her presentation. "Ugh, never mind, too much emotion. I'm gonna go throw up somewhere."

Chris stared at it. "Okay, that's cool, but...where do you live in it?"

"Live in it?" Iris asked, trying to find a place that might work as a living space. "There's no need."

"Planning on leaving?" Chris asked. "You don't have anywhere to sleep tonight."

Scarlett finally stepped in. "Chris, we tried to tell you earlier that we had built a new bunker. I don't think any of us have a place to live in our structure." Everyone slowly murmured in agreement.

"Huh," Chris said. "Is that true?" Everyone nodded. "Cool, max score of five from me then. Everyone else can give up to ten." Chris looked at the cannon Iris built. "Does the cannon work?" Iris shook her head. "Then...two." Iris frowned.

Chander laughed. "I like it. Luna stole my stuff. This would be nice to see. Six. It's not really a structure, more of a statue."

Helio stared at it. "Cannon is power. Feather there. Ten." Iris smiled at the one good score.

"Well," Chris said, "that's an eighteen for Iris, not very good. Next!"

* * *

Angie presented her structure next. "While it's hardly something to live in," she explained. "it is a display of craftiness." Her structure had many floating sheets of metal, with all of it covered in the ashes from the ground. The feather was placed at the very top, and had ashes surrounding it as well. "As you know," Angie continued, "this might appear to be a display of psychic powers. But, we also all know that isn't the case. So, enjoy what I've given you."

Chris shrugged. "It certainly looks cool. Four." Angie frowned.

Chander observed it. "This all looks like Luna's material. It isn't any of mine, so I can appreciate that. But, you also definitely copied this idea. Hm...seven." Angie nodded, content with that score.

Helio shook his head. "Feather yes. No phoenix metaphor. Five." Angie sighed, as she didn't do too well.

Chris laughed. "That's sixteen, which is worse than Iris's score. Iris currently has immunity. Who's going to stop her?"

* * *

Max went next, showing off his creation. It was the same sheet of metal, but he actually had managed to get one of his three shovels into the metal. The other two were simply laying on top of it. The feather was sitting on top of the sheet of metal as well. "I have created the most evil, diabolical contraption you could think of. Behold, the shovel sleeper!" He let out an evil laugh as he continued his explanation.

"This powerful trap will steal all the tools from the island, and hold it in its metal clutch! No escape for those who aren't evil!" Max cackled again, with a strike of lightning appearing behind him for more effect.

Chris looked at it. "Well, I guess you could lay on it. That's more of a shelter than we've seen. But, still not creative. Six." Max beamed at the highest score Chris had given.

Chander snickered. "Well, I am impressed you actually brute forced a shovel into a sheet of metal. But, there's not metaphor with it, so...I guess six?

Helio pointed at the sheet of metal Max presented. "Feather yes. No phoenix. I give five." Max smiled again, but his joy was cut short by Chris.

"Unfortunate," the host said. "Only seventeen. Not enough to topple the leader. Who's next?"

* * *

**Scarlett: **"Ugh," she said as she slammed her head against the wall. "He continues to squeeze by with pure luck. But, I think if I can bring him to the finale, I have a free million. His luck can't last this long."

* * *

Luna went next. "A creation of my own design," she said, pointing at her structure. It was very similar to Angie's but the resources seemed newer and cared about more. "This is the floating sleeper. One with powers can sleep among common auras, connecting and growing. The feather is in the middle, surrounded by ashes, to symbolize how I won't let one minor setback defeat me."

"You can't call it The Floating Sleeper and have that considered a shelter!" Paul complained.

Chris shrugged. "Hey, it might not fit her bill, but for someone who was involved in actual psychic powers, I could see how it happened. Eight." Luna smiled. A high score.

Chander groaned. "I have to admit, I'm not buying the structure thing, but I can appreciate the metaphor. Five."

Helio slammed his foot down. "Feather and meaning. I give ten." Luna smiled, earning the highest score so far.

"That overtakes our previous winner," Chris announced. Luna topples the competition, leaving only three people left, and a high of twenty-three to beat. It's gonna be tough. Who can do it?"

"Fine," I'll go," Paul said blankly.

* * *

Paul showed off his structure, which was many sheets of metal combined, to resemble the original tree fort of the Meerkats. The feather laid in the top bunk of the girl's side. "As cheesy as it is," he said, "this is a tribute to the start of our team's success. The feather is where Flora slept, because her prowess for teamwork gave us our first win." He gestured to the area around the bunk. "The fort is where we harnessed that teamwork, and turned a losing situation into a team with one of the highest win streaks in Total Drama history: four, only to be cut off by the merge. I have no doubts we would have continued to win."

Chris was perplexed. "You're aware the Eagles got a win streak of four at the beginning, right? You were down five to nine at one point. But, it was a touching tribute, and just your luck that you built the old tree fort, because that's a structure. Nine." Paul smirked at Luna, who was beginning to look nervous.

Chander nodded. "Yeah, that's a metaphor if I've ever seen one. If I cared more about you two, I might rank it higher, but take a seven for now."

Helio inspected the structure for only a brief second before announcing his score. "Have feather and words. Ten." Paul celebrated at his very high score.

"That's a killer score of twenty six. Luna loses immunity, can anyone do better?" Chris asked.

Angie stepped forward. "Why is meathead only giving out fives and tens? Where's the variety?"

Chander leaned over to her. "He doesn't know all the numbers. We had to teach him those two."

* * *

Jonathan went next, bringing everyone to his selection. It appeared to be rather normal, with the feather sitting on top, rather untouched. "Rather than try and bring my resources to one place," he said, "I wanted to make it easier for me, so I made a sand castle. Simple, and effective, and it's big enough to sleep in. The ash is sturdy enough to hold its ground, while sand would normally collapse. I don't have a metaphor. I guess that's like my game plan this time around. I'm just going with whatever feels easiest. So...I guess I do have a metaphor."

Chris clapped. Finally, someone who actually made a structure to sleep in from the start. And it's not over-the-top gushy or anything like that. I'll give it a ten."

Chander shrugged. "Yeah, that's good enough for me, I can get behind it. Seven."

Helio nodded and clapped twice. "Feather and meaning. I see both. Ten." Jonathan added up the scores in his head and smiled.

"Wow," Chris said. "Jonathan took immunity from Paul, who's left to fend for himself next. Scarlett's gonna have to do real well to beat that."

* * *

Scarlett showed everyone her structure. "No, you can't live in it," she explained. "I wanted to salvage the unnatural beauty this island had beforehand, so I got some seaweed for a very green and luscious landscape. It doesn't fit the fiery season, but I can assure you that the feather in the center is brought out in beauty in this very nice environment."

Chris shrugged. "Yeah you had to do real well with this, and you didn't. I can give it a five at best. No habitability."

"I kinda like it," Chander said. "It looks nice. I'll spare you with a seven."

Helio looked at it closely. "Feather and words. Ten." Scarlett sighed, as it wasn't quite enough to win.

"Well, all I can say is that you didn't bomb too hard," Chris admitted. "You got a score of twenty two. Not bad, but not enough. Immunity goes to Jonathan tonight!" Jonathan smiled, but didn't celebrate much. He wasn't expecting to go home anyway. "You guys have one hour to vote, and then I'll see you tonight!"

* * *

Scarlett grabbed her bags and began to put stuff inside them. "Giving up?" Iris asked, about to take a nap before elimination.

"No," Scarlett said with a sigh. "I just want to be prepared. I don't think we can get Luna out. Angie was all suspicious when I asked her to help. Paul's in with us, but it won't be enough. And, Jonathan's mad at us. So, he's out.

"That's annoying," Iris admitted. "Well, one of us should speak to Jonathan before it's too late for any of us."

Scarlett got up and walked outside, where she was intercepted by someone unexpected. "Find me more proof," Max demanded. "About Luna. I demand the truth."

Scarlett perked up. "Find me before next challenge, and I can surely get it to you." Max nodded and walked off. "Are you voting with Luna?" she asked. Max nodded again. "Fine. But, don't make this mistake longer than you need to. You need all the help you can get."

* * *

**Max:** "I am unconcerned with this petty game," he said. "Once I win, I will have enough fortune to rule the whole world!" He paused. "One million dollars is enough for that, right?"

* * *

**Elimination 12**

The seven remaining players approached the logs to find out their fate. There was a clear divide between groups. Paul sat with Scarlett and Iris, while Luna was with Angie and Max. Jonathan sat between the two groups, but did not lean in any direction.

Chris approached the group with six marshmallows on his plate. "Campers," he told them. "One of you has to go, and you all made your votes. Jonathan, you are safe, since you won the challenge." Jonathan caught his marshmallow and smiled, then proceeded to see how the rest of this went down.

Chris held up two more marshmallows. "Max and Angie are also safe."

The four campers left looked at each other. Iris seemed to have expected this, but seemed unconcerned. Scarlett was a bit nervous, and Luna and Paul were very concerned. "Iris," Chris called next. Iris breathed out in relief as she caught the marshmallow. "Scarlett." Surprised, Scarlett also grabbed her treat and sat down.

Luna and Paul glared at each other. "You two have really been closer than you realize. That's gotta stink. But one of you got one more vote than the other, and it came right down to that guy in the middle." Everyone looked at Jonathan who still looked confident in his decision. "Tonight's loser is...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...Paul." Paul was in shock while Luna seemed to celebrate a little.

"Really, poison boy?" Paul asked. "You chose me over anyone else?"

"I had to weaken my adversaries," he admitted. "You weren't my initial idea, but Angie chose this one."

Paul turned his head to Angie who smirked. "You gave me way too much grief on our little team," she said. "That fact you weren't expecting me to betray you after our first season is surprising. Think of it as me claiming back my loss." Paul grunted as he headed for the cannon.

"Good riddance to this show," he said. "Chris is getting nuttier by the minute. Someone needs to-" his sentence was interrupted as he was shot off into the sky.

"Well," Chris said, "that's another one. There's six left. Who's getting to five? Who's getting to four? Who knows what's in store next time on Total! Drama! Fiery Passion!

(END OF CHAPTER)

* * *

**Votes: Merge**

**Angie: **"Luna actually listened to me. Well, sorry, Paul, not really."

**Iris: **"I don't think we have the numbers, but I'm going to try. Luna."

**Jonathan: **"This is me, righting my final Karon wrong. Plus, it weakens Iris and Scarlett. Paul."

**Luna: **"Wasn't my idea, but at least it won't be me tonight. Paul."

**Max: **"I choose Paul on my own volition, no one else's!"

**Paul: **"I have to go with Luna. Powers or no powers, I don't want her around."

**Scarlett: **"Luna is the obvious answer, and in the case of a miracle, I have no choice."

**Total- Paul (4), Luna (3)**

**Eliminated: Paul**

* * *

**Current Teams:**

**Merge: **Angie, Iris, Jonathan, Luna, Max, Scarlett

Elimination Order:

19th (kind of)- Chander, The Spooky Prankster

18th- Sugar, The Pageant Queen

17th- Norm, The Antisocial Genius

16th- Jasmine, The Outback Amazon

15th- Marty, The Con Artist

14th- Kayla, The Brat

13th- Flora, The Pacifist

12th- Ethan, The Anti-Villain

11th- Shawn, The Zombie Conspiracy Nut

10th- Lavender, The Nature's Child

9th- Sky, The Athlete

8th- Kara, The Curious Girl

7th- Paul, The Pessimist

* * *

**There goes Paul. With six left, we have two who qualified in Pahkitew, three who qualified in Karon, and one who qualified in Submerged.**

**This was a really boring challenge to write. I hope advancing the plot a bit and learning about Luna helped alleviate some of that. if not, I'm sorry. ****Well, next challenge is exciting, at least.**

**I actually enjoyed Paul and Angie's rivalry more than Paul and Kayla's. Kayla was a good rival for Paul at first since they hardly knew each other, but Angie and Paul constantly going at each other's throats _because_ they knew each other was more fun overall.**

**So, who do you think is gone next? Let me know in the reviews, and I'll see you next time!**


	14. Hop on Top

**Replies, Standing Aloft**

**Guest 1138- Angie Paul finale would really be something. Too bad that can't happen anymore. Well, let's see how the other half does today.**

**Sephiria Arks- The thing with Paul and Angie is that they're both super competitive, but the rivalry stems from Paul's betrayal in Karon. Also, Kayla left super early, and she was on the other team. If I had the chance I would have expanded on that one. As for the shuffled series...they'll never interact, different gens. So, unfortunately, this is the last of that interaction.**

**Candela Monsoon- Let's see how your prediction goes- get some sleep lol.**

**Now, we're down to six...**

* * *

Episode 14: Hop on Top

Chris had slightly restored the form of the island. Some greenery had returned, but a good chunk of it was still burnt immensely. Chris began the episode how he always did. "Last time, on Total Drama, we rebuilt from the big destruction that was the night before. By we, I mean they." The first clips were Chander guarding the junk pile, and the group trying to get items from it. "Campers built their own metaphorical tributes to show how much this island meant to them. And, apparently we forgot to tell them they also had to be able to live in them. But, that was funny, and no one did well because of it." He laughed again as clips showed of Scarlett kindly offering her tools to Paul. "Angie tried out blackmail, and it didn't work out too much. Luna got blackmailed, which also didn't work. But, right when Paul went for a killer finish, Jonathan overpowered him, and beat him to immunity. Jonathan decided to not give away immunity this time, and kept it, but was also the divide in the group. Because of recent info he learned, Jonathan actually sided with Luna, which sent...Paul home? I don't know, I'm just the host."

"We're down to six!" Chris announced. "Someone won't make it to five, and someone won't make it four, but we have to see what's in store today on Total! Drama! Fiery Passion!"

* * *

**Opening Sequence**

[Various cameras began to appear in a similar way to the other seasons. The first one appeared out of a lily pad, which seemed to be mechanically connected to the water. Next, one came out of a tree, which spit out some fire as the camera popped out. The final one fell on top of the outhouse confessional, and exploded into a burning flame. The camera then began to fly as the opening played.]

_Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doing fine,_

[The camera arrived at a waterfall, where Shawn poked his head out, to see Jasmine waiting for him. He waved a signal as she went in.]

_You guys are on my mind,_

[Next to the waterfall, Marty stares at them with a scowl on his face. He picks up a stick, smirks at the waterfall, and snaps the stick.]

_You asked me what I wanted to be, and I think the answer is plain to see_

[The camera flies over the waterfall, where Sky is doing Olympic style jumps. She lands one perfectly, much to Jonathan's amazement. Iris runs by and smacks Jonathan over the head. Ethan laughs in the back as Jonathan fumes.]

_I wanna be famous!_

[The camera flies to a clearly mechanical mountain, where Paul and Angie are intensely competing. Angie barely beats him up the hill, which angers Paul.]

_I wanna live close to the sun_

[Lavender and Flora smile at each other as they run off. A hand reaches out to stop one of them.]

_Go pack your bags, 'cause I've already won_

[Lavender turns her head to see Scarlett. The quiet brainiac signals for Lavender to follow her instead.]

_Everything to prove, nothing in my way,_ _I'll get there one day_

[As Sugar tries her hardest trying to build something, she laughs at her own brilliance. Meanwhile, Norm fakes a fall, knocking it over. He gives the pageant queen a sheepish but fake smile.]

_I wanna be famous_

[Paul and Angie are seen in a hot race again, this time Paul has the lead. He skids to a halt and trips her, causing her to fall.]

_Na na nanana na, nanana na, nananananana_

[Kayla kicks the ground, evidently bored, while her sister, Kara, investigates a pipe spitting out fire on the others side. A ball of fire shoots by and ignites another pipe, which causes Kara to look back. Chander is seen blowing out ignition fuel.]

_I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous!_

[Various other high ranking, non-competing contestants appear in silhouettes, as fire shoots out from behind them. Some have items like swords or heavy weights in their hand. Others are just standing there in a menacing fashion.]

_I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous!_

[The scene zooms into the fire, which changes to a traditional campfire.]

_*Whistling*_

[Luna stares at Max with a bright green glow, while Max offers her a contraption he made. The psychic fixes it with her mind, which causes the others to glare at her as they whistle.]

* * *

The bunker was as lively as it ever was. Luna and Angie were talking, while Jonathan and Iris were arguing. Max and Scarlett were nowhere to be seen. "You really think that she was that much of a hindrance?" Jonathan protested.

Iris scoffed. "She was blatantly helping you win. What more did you want from me? I shouldn't have to justify myself to you."

"Fine," Jonathan replied. "I guess I'll vote with Luna again."

Iris backed off a bit and threw her hands up. "Okay, look, I really don't like you. But I hate Luna even more. What will it take to get that vote over to our side?"

Jonathan smiled smugly. "Just an apology." Iris gagged as he said those words.

* * *

**Iris: **"Yeah, I'll cheat and lie for the million if I need to," she admitted. "If I needed to, though, and I _don't_. I'm going to make sure that Jonathan is the one apologizing to me. After all, he might've given up immunity again if his vote wasn't so important."

* * *

"Maybe later," she said. "I don't want to talk to you just yet." Iris walked off and left the bunker, hoping to find someone who wasn't annoying to her.

Meanwhile, in the bunker, with just the three of them left, Angie spoke up. "Nice words, wonder boy," she said. "You gonna stick with us or no?"

Jonathan shrugged. "That decision is totally up to her. But, knowing how she is, consider my vote yours."

"It stinks that happened," Luna admitted. "I really wanted Iris gone. You two know that, right?"

Angie groaned. "I believe you," she said, "but don't make me have to work for it."

Jonathan simply grumbled. "Just because I stand with you now doesn't mean I will continue to do so. I will get my revenge, and figure out the rest of the game myself."

Luna snickered at that remark. "Let's see how that goes for you, yeah?"

* * *

**Luna: **"I need to keep my grip on Jonathan as much as I can," she admitted. "I'll give him one or two challenges, but after that, I have to make sure all liabilities are gone." She let out a loud sigh. "And if Scarlett convinces Max, then he goes too. He may be an interesting finale option though..."

**Jonathan: **"Sky's elimination will not be in vain," he told the camera firmly. "Once I rid the game of Scarlett and Iris, I'll take out Luna, and then probably Max. I feel like Angie's earned the finale more."

* * *

Scarlett was again bringing up a rope, with Max attached to the end. "The trees are growing back," Max protested. "This is unnecessary!"

"Yeah, whatever," Scarlett said in ignorance. "Look, I'm going to make you see the truth, because you have absolutely been tricked the entire season." She got out a few of Max's gadgets. "These are all yours, right?" Max nodded quietly. "Luna didn't help you with them, right?" Max shook his head. "Huh, so you have become better at building." She shook her head. "That's beside the point. Luna uses these more than you, and she did it all to hide her ruse. She used you to do it."

"Nonsense!" Max declared again. "She still cares about me!"

Scarlett started at him with a dead expression. "Oh yeah? How much 'affection' has she shown you since we figured her out in the merge challenge?"

Max sat there for a few seconds, as Scarlett watched him intently. At one point, Max immediately snapped up, and gasped so expressively that he nearly fell out of the tree. Scarlett barely saved him. "She's been...lying?" he asked stupidly.

"Yes," Scarlett answered. "We all needed you to see that. Now, we need your help tonight, or else Luna will pick each of us off until we lose."

"Then down with her!" Max declared. "We shall rid her of existence on this island!"

"Not so loud!" Scarlett said in a hush tone. "Look, if she wins, than we can figure something else out. But, if she doesn't, then you vote with us, and you vote for Luna. Understood?" Max nodded quickly. "I'll take that as a yes, and hope for the best."

* * *

**Max: **"She's been tricking me!" he announced. "But, evil does not get tricked without revenge! She will rue the day she tried to make eyes with me!"

**Scarlett: **"I actually have little faith that he comprehended all I disclosed with him," she admitted. "But, until I see otherwise, I have no choice but to accept that...he might have grasped it."

* * *

The conversation was cut short by a blare of the speakers, which eventually settled out to be Chris's voice. "Attention, final six. Get over to the bottom of the giant mountain in the center of the island. Last one there will...never mind, just get over here!"

"I don't trust you to win," Scarlett told the super villain, "but I trust you to go far enough to exact revenge. You aren't important to me at all, but your vote is."

* * *

Eventually, the six remaining contestants gathered at the bottom of the mountain. In front of them was a table with a white sheet covering what was on it. "Final six, guys," Chander told them. "You ought to be proud of yourselves. That takes work."

"Save the praise, co-host," Chris said. "Today you guys have two challenges. Your first, lies right on that table." Chander walked over and pulled off the sheet, revealing six jars of fireflies, and one slingshot.

"You have to be kidding me," Angie said with a groan.

Chris laughed. "Come on, you won the last firefly challenge. It's not like everyone will gun for you because of that." Chris laughed again before pointing up to the top of the mountain. You break your jar, open your jar, or lose your jar, you're out of the first part. Get the jar up to the resting spot first for an advantage. Not only does the winner of the first challenge get an advantage, but the loser gets a disadvantage." A few of the campers grumbled at the thought of a disadvantage.

* * *

**Angie: **"Last thing I need is a disadvantage," she said nervously. "I'm currently allied with the meanest person in the game. My only safety wall is Jonathan."

* * *

Chander gestured to everyone. "Get ready, and don't mess up. Fireflies don't fare well here, despite what we've been doing to the island." He pointed upwards. "Get to it!" With his words, everyone darted for a jar. Jonathan was the first to reach the table, and grabbed the slingshot too. He ran off to go find ammunition for his weapon.

Iris and Angie broke off into a sprint up the mountain first, trying to push each other down, or swipe the others' jar, or just about anything that would slow them down or get them out. "Give up!" they both shouted to each other at once.

"Why are you targeting me?" Iris accused, as she swiped at Angie's jar, causing her to stumble back.

Angie took that chance to jump in front of her and cut her off. "I need to make to the next challenge, or I'm done! I need that advantage more than anyone?"

"Have fun fighting!" Luna shouted, running right past them. "You should really focus on this challenge," she taunted. Getting ahead.

Iris scowled at the hothead. "Are you going to let her go right past the two of us?"

"Yeah," Angie said. "It's safer for me than to let you win." Iris growled at the hothead as she ran ahead, making Angie quickly go after her.

Behind them, Jonathan lagged a bit back, but was still up with the rest. Scarlett led a bit behind him, and Max was even further back. Jonathan kept pushing forward, but eventually began to slow down. Scarlett caught up to him, breathing heavily. "Jonathan," she said between breaths, "I implore you to reconsider your decision." She faced him with utmost sincerity.

"All Iris needs to do is apologize," Jonathan responded, beginning to speed up again. "But, that might be too much for her."

Scarlett chuckled. "If you continue to be the wild card, eventually you will be the one people can't rely on." Jonathan's eyes widened, but Scarlett was beginning to fall back already. "Think about it, while I fall back," she was still breathing heavily going upwards as Jonathan eventually ran out of her sight.

* * *

**Jonathan: **"I understand I'm the wild card," he acknowledged. "I also know that means I'm the most important person to everyone here. All Iris needs to do is apologize, and I think she'll be desperate enough by the time this challenge is over."

* * *

Back up top, Luna was still far ahead of the competition. "Just...a few more...feet," she muttered, "then I'll be at that advantage in no time." She slowly approached the top area, where she was greeted with a flat plane around her. "No one here?" she asked herself. "They really did make this season too easy."

Her strut to victory was shortly interrupted. "Oh, too easy?" a voice sounded from the side. The final resting spot for the jars opened up, showing Chander, holding Chef's meatball bazooka, but in a smaller form. "I have no idea how that man lifts that thing for an entire challenge," he admitted. "It's heavy. So, I downsized mine, but kept the pain rolling. Hope you're ready for a challenge."

"Perfect, and chance to prove myself!" Luna declared. Chander began to fire off shots at Luna, who was dodging them with ease. Chander looked shocked at the pseudo-psychic's abilities. "I don't have powers," she said, "but I have skills." Chander focused in, trying to hit her. Eventually, he landed a hit on her, causing her to get stuck to the ground, but she was still holding onto the jar. "No!"

Iris and Angie got up to the top next. "Cover me, Angie!" Luna demanded.

"Sorry, but I can't afford that," she said. "Advantage might be helpful to me." Angie charged, and so did Iris. Chander struggled hitting two targets, and missed both. They both made a dive for the final positioning, and just barely, Angie landed hers on top.

"That's a wrap," Chris announced to everyone. "Angie takes advantage." A few people groaned, such as Luna, who was still trying to claw her way out.

* * *

Everyone was now up top, waiting for the next part of the challenge. "A few of you are on okay terms with today's cameo," Chris told them, "and most of you are not. So, give a warm welcome to Juan!"

The helicopter appeared above them, and Juan descended from it, and a Latin riff played as he eventually landed in a traditional parachute. "Ah, good to see you all," he told them. "I'm very excited to have the honor of today's challenge."

"Just tell us what it is, Spanish man," Max declared. "Evil has no time for theatrics!"

Luna tilted her head at the super villain. "I thought evil was all about the theatrics?"

Max shook his head. "Not anymore. Now, I seek my path of revenge through evil! And, I will get it! You're closer to your demise than you think!" Luna was perplexed by his statement, but eventually figured it out, keeping quiet.

Juan stepped forward. "Okay then...uh, on with the challenge, yeah?" Juan stepped on top of the mountain. "The peak of a mountain resembles the top of the world, in a figurative sense. Being on top here means that you are untouchable...to a point. Everyone will always come from below, trying to knock you down. Your challenge is to stay on top as long as possible. The person who's highest up at the end of two hours will be the victor."

"King of the hill," Iris said with a smirk. "I'm ready to have a no-bars contest of domination."

"Huh?" Juan asked. "No, there are some things you might want to pay attention to." Juan first pointed at the table. "That table shoots fire. It will hurt, probably. Never touched it myself." He then pointed below. "Lava will also rise from the bottom," Juan said. "that will definitely hurt. It's up to you guys to decide if you are going to gentleman to solid ground, or truly hold nothing back on each other." A few people shot glares in the direction of Iris and Luna, concerned they might not be so merciful.

"There are other traps that will attempt to dethrone you," Juan explained further. "But, I'm just here to watch, so I'll let you know when you found em."

Luna groaned. "That's...helpful," she said sarcastically.

"Alright, we get it," Angie complained, "what's my advantage?"

"You get to start up top," Juan told her. "Which means that the high ground is yours. Everyone else will line up by how close they were to finishing, so Iris next, then Luna, Jonathan, Scarlett, and finally Max."

Everyone lined up at different parts of the mountain, ordering themselves how Juan told them. "This won't be fun," Scarlett muttered. "Winning almost seems impossible."

"Everyone ready?" Juan asked. Scarlett rolled her eyes again, while Luna snickered.

* * *

**Luna: **"This challenge has an obvious loophole," she explained. "But, I have to try for now, otherwise the others might realize it. I need immunity. Badly."

* * *

"Giving up so early?" Luna taunted Scarlett from above. "You won't win like that."

Scarlett let out a loud sigh. "I will try, futile as it may be. Just...leave me alone."

"Go!" Juan shouted. Instantly, Iris gunned up to the top of the mountain, hoping to take Angie down quickly. As she charged, fire erupted from below her, and she narrowly dodged a geyser. Juan laughed as he watched that happen. "Did I mention," he added. "Those hit by a fire trap have to sit out for ten minutes? Yeah, so if you get hit late in the game, it might be the end."

Iris got up to Angie's height, and came forward again. "I've got you!" she shouted.

Angie sidestepped the charging paranoid girl, letting her slam into the wall. The hothead laughed as Iris groaned in pain. "Chill out, wont you?" Angie asked in a mocking tone. "If you get out this early I won't have a challenge."

Iris backed up a few steps, and then charged again. "Knock me down, coward!" She crashed into Angie, who shoved her back. "Stop just standing there!" Angie tossed her to the side. "Ugh," she groaned. "I'm going to get you eventually!"

Angie chuckled again. "I'm not going to waste my effort if you're going to be so reckless." Iris immediately halted. "Huh. Did I really get through to you?"

* * *

**Iris: **"How could I be such an idiot?" she cried out. "This is the exact same thing I tutored Kayla on, and now I'm doing it! Ugh, I'll figure something out."

* * *

As they were fighting, they were both knocked down at the same time, sending them down some of the mountain. "What was that?" Angie asked, looking up. The two of them dropped their jaws to see Luna standing above them, with two of her ropes that she had dipped in fire. She dropped them both on the ground once the fire spread close to her.

Luna laughed at the two of them as she stood up top. "Enjoying yourselves down there?" she asked. "I'm going to chill up here. Don't come close. I have more fire beams."

"Rope," Iris corrected. "You have more rope."

"Fire beams," Luna argued. She rolled her eyes. "It doesn't matter. Don't approach me, or you'll be in trouble."

Iris sighed and walked off, while Angie snickered. "Look, is that a whole 'no one's in charge of me' moment?" She shrugged. "Look, I just don't think it's working."

Luna glared at Angie. "You shouldn't tell me what to do, either. I spend my whole childhood in movies, being told how to do everything, and when I finally get the chance to be who I want to be, people try and take that away from me!"

Luna turned to see what Angie had to say in response, but Angie was no longer paying attention. She was busy fending off Jonathan, who had now made it to the top of the hill. "I've...got you!" he shouted, exhausted from his sprint back up.

"Glad you could make it," Angie shouted, "time to take us all on!"

Iris perked up at Jonathan's arrival, however. "I'm glad you could make it too," Iris told him. "I wanted to tell you that- ah!" her sentence was cut off by Angie throwing Jonathan down the mountain a bit. "What was that for?" Iris complained to the hothead.

"Sorry," Angie said with a bored expression. "Out of all the people here, I really can't let him win."

Jonathan tumbled a bit, before getting up again. As he was getting up, he encountered Scarlett appearing behind him. "Bad up there?" she asked. Jonathan nodded as he collapsed on the ground again. "Great, let's get this over with." Scarlett began to run up, as Angie stood above her. Scarlett, instead of going near her, decided to stop moving.

"What are you doing?" Angie taunted. "Too scared to come up further?" Scarlett didn't respond. "Well, if you're not coming up, then I'm coming down!" Angie charged after Scarlett, who was still refusing to move. Angie got right in front of Scarlett, and at that point, she finally reached out to push her off. Scarlett grabbed her hands. "Well, it was worth a shot," Angie muttered to herself. Scarlett then threw Angie to the ground, and made it to the top.

Once she got up top, Iris was there to greet her. "Good, you're here," Iris said. "Let's approach carefully and take out Luna. We need a plan to get her as far down as possible."

Both girls thought for a second, before Scarlett figured out the plan. "Lure her," she told Iris. "She's evenly matched when you're around, but with the power I can bring, she's overrun."

Iris jumped forward and stood in front of Luna, who was waiting for her. "So, back to fight, huh?" the pseudo psychic taunted. Iris ignored her and took a few steps forward. "Well, guess you're done for." Luna charged at her, swinging her flaming ropes. Iris dodged the first one, and the second one narrowly missed as well, slamming into the ground as Iris leaped to the side. Iris jumped backward, letting Luna swing again with the first rope from the side. Iris ducked, and eventually found a safe spot.

Scarlett took the opportunity to get closer, and got ready to charge at Luna. "Now!" she shouted to Iris. Iris ran right at Luna, and Luna got ready to defend. As Scarlett had predicted, the two were evenly matched, and both Luna and Iris were getting tired. Scarlett finally reached for Luna, grabbing her and pulling her to the ground. Once Luna was knocked down, Scarlett kept advancing as Iris grabbed Luna, tossing her down the mountain.

Luna fell further than all the others, since Iris was not holding back at all. As she landed on the ground, she looked up and saw the lava approaching. "I still have time," she said, getting up.

"There are ten minutes left in the game!" Juan shouted over the announcements. "Wow, I always wanted to use this."

Luna sighed. "Okay, so much for that plan. I have to go all out, now." She began to run, when she saw Max sitting down on a rock. Luna carefully approached him. "What are you doing?" she asked.

Max sneered at her. "I don't need to tell you, you betrayed me!"

"Yeah, okay, I did," Luna admitted, "but you haven't even tried to do anything all challenge!"

Max laughed. "Chris made a mistake! He just said to be there at the end! I will wait for my moment!" Luna stared at him blankly as he began to run up the mountain. "Time to go, only ten minutes left."

* * *

**Luna: **"T-that was the strategy _I_ was thinking of! How on earth did he- ugh!"

* * *

Scarlett stood on top of the mountain. "I didn't actually expect to make it up here," she told Iris, who was standing right below her. "I thought for sure Angie would stop me, but she charged right at me."

"Hehe, yeah," Iris said nervously. She then turned to Scarlett. "Look, I think we can establish each other as...friends, right?" Scarlett nodded and continued to listen. "Good. Can you make sure I don't get too reckless again. Like...that dance challenge, when I purposely shocked myself to get ahead...stuff like that. I need to stop going head on into things."

"Of course," Scarlett nodded. "On that note, you might want to think about that socially too." She gestured to in front of them, where Jonathan and Angie were approaching. "Apologize to him."

"Right," Iris said, going up to the boy in question. "Hey, Jonathan, I wanted to tell you that- oh." Jonathan yelled as Angie threw him down the mountain. "Hey, what was that for?" Iris yelled at Angie.

"He's a wild card," she told the two above her. "If anyone can't win immunity, it's him. We need to have some direction."

Oddly enough, the next person at the top was Max. "Silence, peon!" he shouted at Angie. "You are siding with the enemy! He began to run at the hothead at full speed. "Time to evil!" Angie groaned as she pushed him back down in one blow. "Hey, that hurt!" he complained as he slowly got up.

"One minute left!" Juan shouted.

"Time to make my move then!"

Iris accepted the plan as she moved up further. There, Luna whipped a rope into the ground. "Don't take another step," she said, as Iris narrowed in. "If you get any closer, you might not walk again."

"You used that threat already," Iris countered, getting ready to strike. "I'm not scared of you."

She began to lunge at Luna, who stood idle as she laughed. "Huh, well, you should be."

"Iris, look out!" Scarlett called, but it was too late. Luna swung horizontally at Iris's legs when she jumped up, and already airborne, Iris had no time to react. The ropes collided with Iris's legs, and sent her down the mountain. "Oh man," Scarlett said, running downward to make sure Iris was okay.

"Well, that's two of them," Luna said proudly. "Who else is going to stop me in time?" she taunted.

Her question was answered by Max standing with a new contraption. "It is I who shall!" he declared. Max aimed the gun, and fired it, causing a giant net to go around Luna. "Yes! Time to evil!" he shouted, running up to the captured villain.

"No!" Luna shouted, full of rage. She began to claw at the nets, but they weren't budging. "What are these- these are my ropes!" she shouted, continuing to try and rip them apart. "You, you keep taking my stuff, and calling it yours! I'm sick of it! I will destroy you!" Luna stood up, with the net still around her.

Jonathan and Angie reached the top again, watching all the chaos unfold. "This won't feel good," Jonathan said.

"Yep," Angie agreed, watching the encased Luna begin to walk.

Luna got right up to Max, breathing heavily. "You, won't get past me, that I'm sure of!" Max took that opportunity to simply push Luna over, causing her to fall. "No! I won't give up, you-" her shouting was interrupted by a buzzer.

"So, uh, time's up," Juan told them. "And, since Max never removed her from the highest point, Luna wins!"

Max sneered at the pseudo psychic. "You got lucky," he decided. "I will get my revenge on you, and that is a fact!" Luna didn't respond, and simply let out a loud sigh of relief.

* * *

**Luna: **"So, I'm in the final five," she said smugly. "I had to play a bit dirty, but it was worth it. Now, I can drop Iris for good. I want to take Max all the way to the finale now, so I can _break _him."

**Scarlett: **"Well, that didn't go as planned," she lamented. "Not only do I have to figure out who we're getting rid of instead, Iris is in bad condition. The others might vote her off out of sympathy. I won't allow it."

* * *

Scarlett eventually got to Iris. "How are you?" she said. "Luna seems to have literally whipped you."

Iris groaned in pain. "I'll be fine by tomorrow. But it stinks Luna's immune. And I never got to apologize to Jonathan, so...I guess that's it for me."

Scarlett shook her head. "Don't be all down like that, we have Max, I think. If we're lucky with him, we can force a tiebreaker. I know you might not be able to do well, but Luna will be unequipped...probably. There's still a chance."

Iris groaned again. "Well, if that's all we need to do, then maybe we can try." She paused for a second, before starting to get up, only to fall again. "Actually, take me to Jonathan. We can figure out our next course of action after I have his vote." Scarlett nodded and began to pick her up, trying to carry her as best as she could.

* * *

Back at the new bunker, Angie, Luna, and Jonathan were meeting. "So, it's agreed we take out Iris," Luna said. "I'm sick of her being here, and even more than Max, we could take Scarlett down in a physical challenge of any kind."

"Sure, okay," Angie agreed, "but do we have your vote, Jonathan? I'm still sketchy on you as of now."

Jonathan shrugged. "You two know my policy. She hasn't said a word to me since I gave her that ultimatum. So, I figure her time is up." Luna smirked as her plan came into action. "But know, this," he added, "I only ally with you because you are the enemy of my enemies. After they're taken care of, I go for you two." Angie and Luna exchanged dangerous glances.

"Well, that's cute," Luna said. "You also just sold yourself fourth place, but it's cute." She got up and left, patiently awaiting the elimination ceremony.

"I have to ask," Jonathan asked Angie, "do you think you're going to best her eventually? Luna's going to drop you the instant she needs to."

"I'm aware," she said. "I'm simply borrowing her power, for now," she decided. "I plan to betray her first, but there's no way I would ever say that to her face." She snickered as she began to get up and leave. "Three seasons and you still haven't figured this out. Well, I'm going to take a walk. You coming?"

Jonathan thought about it for a second, but decided against it. "I'll pass. I think I'm gonna lie down here."

As Angie left, the door opened again, and Scarlett entered, carrying Iris on her shoulder with one arm. Scarlett laid Iris down on her bed, and began to walk off. "If you need anything, let me know, okay?" she asked the paranoid girl.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be fine," she said, waving Scarlett away. Scarlett nodded and got ready to leave the room. Once she left, Iris turned to Jonathan. "Yo," she said. "I wanted to talk to you about...my decisions, before the merge," she said.

"I'm listening," Jonathan replied with a harsh tone.

Iris sighed. "I was anticipating the merge," she explained, and besides the fact that she was helping you more than our own team, I was honestly terrified of her abilities. You saw what she did without alliances before, right? And if she had one, I was worried she'd be unstoppable."

Jonathan grumbled. "I'm not seeing where this is going."

Iris sighed again. "I wanted to let you know that it wasn't a personal elimination. Honestly, I'm with you on Luna. We can dump her whenever we want. I didn't think it at first, and it took me a while to accept it, but the longer we string her along, not only the easier it will be for her to build confidence, but the defeat will be even more crushing." She looked at Jonathan intently. "But we need your help to weaken her tonight. As much as we think we can, we can't rely on Max. He's too fickle, and Luna's probably manipulating him right now."

Jonathan sighed. "Alright, fine. I do believe you, about it being personal. But, I'm also inclined to believe that you did this for my vote, and not because you meant it."

Iris was too much in pain to actually argue. "Well, take it how you will, but I know how I felt about it." Jonathan shrugged and left the bunker for a bit.

* * *

**Jonathan: **"Well, she did do what I asked her to do," he admitted. "I'm kinda torn on the vote, but I'm not telling anyone else what I'm doing."

**Iris:** "Well, that was a total drag," she said. "Did I mean any word of that apology? Yeah, I meant all of it, and it was all true, but it still felt weird...apologizing to Jonathan of all people. Ugh, this season's really doing a number on me."

* * *

Once Jonathan was gone, Scarlett came back in. "Well?" she asked, hoping for a positive response from Iris.

"I...don't know," Iris admitted. "I don't think I got through to him. On the bright side, my legs feel a but better. If Luna's unarmed for the tiebreaker, then I should be okay."

"Actually," Scarlett said, "I wanted to talk to you about that. Luna's immune, so we need to figure out what we do next." She looked at the bed next to Iris's. "I'm thinking, if we can't take down Luna, the best we can do is weaken her. So, I guess it's time for Angie to go."

"You think it'll work?" Iris asked.

Scarlett nodded. "She allied with the wrong person, and now she's going to pay the price for it. We can handle this easily. I'll go handle Max. You rest up, okay?" Iris let out another grunt as Scarlett left the room.

* * *

**Angie: **"Well, I see no need to make this a hard vote," she said. "I still need to figure out when a good time to dump Luna will be..."

**Luna: **"Well, I don't think I'll have all the votes I wanted," she admitted. "That's fine. Iris hurts so much that this tiebreaker might kill her."

**Max: **"It is time...for revenge!"

**Jonathan: **..."I don't know yet."

* * *

**Elimination 13**

The final six sat at the bonfire, with a semi clear division. Scarlett and Iris waited on one side, while Luna and Angie sat on the other. In the middle were Max and Jonathan, quietly waiting the results.

Chris approached the six with five marshmallows on his plate. "Well, I didn't do a lot today," he admitted, "but Juan told me you all put each other in a lot of pain. That's awesome." Luna smirked as Iris let out another grunt. "Well, someone's pain ends tonight, as does their chance of winning a million bucks. Well, let's get to it, shall we?" He tossed out the first two marshmallows. "Jonathan, Scarlett, you two are safe." Chris tossed out the marshmallows to the first two. Jonathan grabbed his with one hand, as Scarlett fumbled it around before grabbing it.

The aura of the area got more tense as Chris held up another marshmallow. "Max, also safe." Max's treat hit him in the eye, causing him to let out a small grunt before eating the marshmallow. Chris tossed out the next one. "Luna, not sure why, but you got a vote against you. Regardless, here's invincibility." Luna caught her safety symbol, confused, but also content.

"Wait a minute," Scarlett called out. "Who did- oh my gosh..." She covered her face with her hands as someone else stood up in rage.

"How is this possible?" Max declared. "We had the whole planet against her! Why is she not gone?" Iris let out a groan as well, realizing the error in their vote.

Chris held up the last marshmallow. "Iris, Angie, one of you is leaving right now. Iris, you've been a big threat since day one. Honestly, your team was pretty bad, and I'm not sure how you made it here. Angie, you're siding with a budget action star, or something. Never saw any of those movies you said you did, Luna."

"That's because my- ugh!" Luna shrieked in anger, before giving up on the argument.

Chris chuckled to himself before holding the final marshmallow higher. "Well, one of you two is gone, and that person is...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...Angie." Iris was shocked as she took the marshmallow.

Angie was equally shocked, and quickly turned to Jonathan. "You...you backstabbed us!"

Jonathan lightly shook his head and put his arms up. "I said if Iris apologized that I wouldn't side with you. But, she did, and I decided to believe it."

Angie let out a growl as she walked over to the cannon. "Whatever, this thing better be a good ride."

"Oh, it is," Chris said, "and it's fun to watch."

* * *

Angie was now in the cannon as she looked out into the night sky. "Well, good luck Luna," she said. "I'm the only one here who understood you so, I guess take 'em down."

"You were gonna betray me too, right?" Luna asked nonchalantly.

"...yep," Angie answered. "Yeah scratch that, just launch me." Chris obliged, launching Angie into the sky, and eventually out of sight.

"Well, that was fun," Chris said. "Get outta here." The five of them walked off back to the bunker.

* * *

**Scarlett: **"I've been saying it all season, that we can get rid of Luna whenever we want," she explained. "But there's no time left. We have to act the next chance we get, or we might not get this chance again."

* * *

Scarlett exited the confessional, and began to walk back to the bunker, once she was out of sight, Luna appeared from behind it. "Saying that all season, yeah?" Luna asked to no one. "Well, I can get rid of _you_ whenever I want too, and I will do it the first chance I get."

"Ooooh," Chris said, as the camera zoomed out to him. "Luna's angry! Will anyone stop her plunder to victory? Is it too late for everyone? What will become of the final five? Find out next time, on Total! Drama! Fiery Passion!"

(END OF CHAPTER)

* * *

**Votes: Merge**

**Angie: **"I have to do this for now. It's not ready yet. Goodbye, Iris."

**Iris: **"Well, only because Luna's immune. You should have listened to us, Angie."

**Jonathan: **"I guess I don't have a choice. She did exactly what I asked. Sorry, Angie."

**Luna: **"Iris is as good as gone. I hope we get that tiebreaker. She's gonna hurt real bad during it."

**Max: **"Haha! It's revenge time! Goodbye, Luna!"

**Scarlett: **"Well, here goes nothing, I'm voting Angie."

**Total- Angie (3), Iris (2), Luna (1, VOID)**

**Eliminated: Angie**

* * *

**Current Teams:**

**Merge: **Iris, Jonathan, Luna, Max, Scarlett

Elimination Order:

19th (kind of)- Chander, The Spooky Prankster

18th- Sugar, The Pageant Queen

17th- Norm, The Antisocial Genius

16th- Jasmine, The Outback Amazon

15th- Marty, The Con Artist

14th- Kayla, The Brat

13th- Flora, The Pacifist

12th- Ethan, The Anti-Villain

11th- Shawn, The Zombie Conspiracy Nut

10th- Lavender, The Nature's Child

9th- Sky, The Athlete

8th- Kara, The Curious Girl

7th- Paul, The Pessimist

6th- Angie, The Hothead

* * *

**And, Angie takes the cannon. Honestly, Angie is one of my favorite characters to write, just because she cares about absolutely nothing but herself. But, everyone else took priority, and without Paul, she's just become a pawn for Luna. So, she goes.**

**We're nearing the end, with only four chapters. I hope your as excited for the finale as I am, because it'll be big. Two of the remaining five will compete in it, and one will win that. Who are you rooting for? Were you rooting for Angie? (I know some of you were, sorry) Who do you think's gonna take it? Well, there's only one was to find out. See you next time!**


	15. Frostfire Face-off

**Replies, cold as ice.**

**Guest 1138- Solid guesses. You're the only one to consider Luna for a finale spot. That'd be interesting, wouldn't it?**

**Sephiria Arks- Well, after the large rigging fiasco last season, I doubt Chris would allow rigging to happen again. That, and I dislike rigged votes as a reason to get rid of someone. So, you have my word that no votes will be rigged.**

**Candela Monsoon- I really wanted Angie to do better, but everyone else was more important. Luckily, there's a shuffled series coming...eventually, so she'll be back.**

**Thirteen down, five to go.**

* * *

Episode 15: Frostfire Face-off

Chris had most of the island up and running by this point again. The notable difference was that the island was split in half. One side seemed to have many sections in a controlled burn, while the other was simply frozen, completely covered in ice. Chris still began the episode like all the others. "Last time, on Total Drama, we couldn't think of a good challenge, so we decided to throw everyone on a mountain and play King of the Hill. Juan showed up, too." The first clips were Angie and Jonathan battling it out on the mountain, and Luna swinging her flaming whips around. "Luna made a strategy, but it was bested by Max, and stolen by him too. Luna, who refused to acknowledge the irony of Max stealing something from her, went ballistic, and nearly killed Iris. At least, nearly killed her legs." The next clips were Luna and Max confronting each other at the bottom of the mountain, and Luna swinging her ropes at Iris, hitting her. "Forced to rely on words instead of actions, Iris joined forces with Jonathan and Scarlett to weaken the invincible Luna, by eliminating Angie, sending her home for her third and final time." The final clips were Iris and Jonathan talking in the bunker, Max voting for the wrong person, and Angie's elimination.

Five images flashed on the screen, each with one of the remaining contestants. "Five remain, and that will become four today. Who's getting stuffed into the cannon next? Can anyone stop Luna? Will Luna try and kill someone else today? Find out now, on Total! Drama! Fiery Passion!"

* * *

**Opening Sequence**

[Various cameras began to appear in a similar way to the other seasons. The first one appeared out of a lily pad, which seemed to be mechanically connected to the water. Next, one came out of a tree, which spit out some fire as the camera popped out. The final one fell on top of the outhouse confessional, and exploded into a burning flame. The camera then began to fly as the opening played.]

_Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doing fine,_

[The camera arrived at a waterfall, where Shawn poked his head out, to see Jasmine waiting for him. He waved a signal as she went in.]

_You guys are on my mind,_

[Next to the waterfall, Marty stares at them with a scowl on his face. He picks up a stick, smirks at the waterfall, and snaps the stick.]

_You asked me what I wanted to be, and I think the answer is plain to see_

[The camera flies over the waterfall, where Sky is doing Olympic style jumps. She lands one perfectly, much to Jonathan's amazement. Iris runs by and smacks Jonathan over the head. Ethan laughs in the back as Jonathan fumes.]

_I wanna be famous!_

[The camera flies to a clearly mechanical mountain, where Paul and Angie are intensely competing. Angie barely beats him up the hill, which angers Paul.]

_I wanna live close to the sun_

[Lavender and Flora smile at each other as they run off. A hand reaches out to stop one of them.]

_Go pack your bags, 'cause I've already won_

[Lavender turns her head to see Scarlett. The quiet brainiac signals for Lavender to follow her instead.]

_Everything to prove, nothing in my way,_ _I'll get there one day_

[As Sugar tries her hardest trying to build something, she laughs at her own brilliance. Meanwhile, Norm fakes a fall, knocking it over. He gives the pageant queen a sheepish but fake smile.]

_I wanna be famous_

[Paul and Angie are seen in a hot race again, this time Paul has the lead. He skids to a halt and trips her, causing her to fall.]

_Na na nanana na, nanana na, nananananana_

[Kayla kicks the ground, evidently bored, while her sister, Kara, investigates a pipe spitting out fire on the others side. A ball of fire shoots by and ignites another pipe, which causes Kara to look back. Chander is seen blowing out ignition fuel.]

_I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous!_

[Various other high ranking, non-competing contestants appear in silhouettes, as fire shoots out from behind them. Some have items like swords or heavy weights in their hand. Others are just standing there in a menacing fashion.]

_I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous!_

[The scene zooms into the fire, which changes to a traditional campfire.]

_*Whistling*_

[Luna stares at Max with a bright green glow, while Max offers her a contraption he made. The psychic fixes it with her mind, which causes the others to glare at her as they whistle.]

* * *

Luna was the first one up, and promptly left the bunker. She went for a walk in the woods, attempting to clear her head out from the events that had happened last night. She had lost her only ally left in the game. Getting Jonathan back on her side was the only option.

Luna finally got to the beach, where she pulled out a rope, and tied it against a rock. Once the rock was secure, she backed away from it, holding the other end of the rope in her right hand. She proceeded to yank the rope, which ended up pulling the rock along with it, right towards her. Once she felt it was at a comfortable distance, she sidestepped, and swung the rope to her right, bringing the rock in whichever direction she wished. "If only it really were that easy," she said with a sigh.

* * *

**Luna: **"Don't get me wrong, losing Angie was devastating for my game," she admitted, "but winning will still be easy. All it means is that I have to play a lot dirtier today, I'm talking Area 51 dirty. No mercy. Today, I bring the pain."

* * *

Luna proceeded to untie the rope on the rock, and then hold the rope in her hand, tying the same knot again. Luna then threw the rope onto the rock, pulling. the knot shut over it. She then did the same maneuver on the rock, pulling it toward her and tossing it to the side again. The rock tumbled a few times, before falling off of a ledge, into the water below. "Perfect," she said sinisterly.

* * *

Iris arrived back inside the bunker from a walk, and Jonathan was there to greet her. "Good morning, acquaintance," he said.

"Uh...yeah," Iris said back. "Look, if you're looking for me to buy your vote again, forget it." She pulled out a bag of berries and began to eat as she sternly looked into the poisoner's mouth. "We have enough with us to out Luna, and if she wins instead, we'll get rid of you."

"Why would you do that?" Jonathan asked. "I'm more likely to follow through on a vote then your gremlin friend."

At that point, Scarlett walked over to join the conversation. "Okay," she said hesitantly, "first of all, he's not our friend, he's everyone's preferred finale partner. Second of all, he's dead set on voting Luna. So, unless you side with _her_, then you better stick to beating Luna with us."

Jonathan scoffed at the notion. "I don't plan on becoming your pawn," he said. "We saw how well Angie handled that."

"Well, that's a shame," Iris said in a defeated tone. "I'd hate for your revenge for Sky to end here, by the two people who voted her off." Jonathan twitched at her words, and eventually gave in. "Good, now we need to make a plan to take Luna out."

"Should we grab Max?" Jonathan asked.

Scarlett answered that with a loud sigh. "No. He's...useless. Honestly, we don't know what kind of challenge we're up against. But, at the same time we know it'll be about fire. So, the best we can do for now is to direct all the fire at her. That's all we can do."

"This needs to happen today," Iris said. "If we let her get further, than we risk her winning immunity all the way to the finale."

"I agree," Scarlett said. "We've dragged her along enough. It's time to dump."

Their conversation was conveniently ended at the sound on an announcement outside. "Everyone, carefully make your way down to the meeting area for today's challenge. It's gonna be brutal!" Chris shouted.

"That brings a concern," Scarlett noted. "Chris has never been necessarily worried about us. I understand that we're his income, but this is a new level."

"Oh yeah," Iris said, in between a handful of berries. "The entire area outside the bunker is coated in ice, and the other side is on fire...again."

"Ice?" Jonathan asked with a groan. "You have to be kidding me." Sure enough, as they stepped outside, they felt the temperature drop almost twenty degrees, and Max ran past them, slipping a few times as he ran.

Scarlett tapped on the ice a few times before letting out a groan as well. "This is a whole new level of absurd. Well, nothing for it, I suppose." They all began to make their way down to the meeting area, careful not to slip on the ice at all.

* * *

Once the four made it, Luna walked over to join them. "Pretty scary looking island, huh?" she asked them in a taunting tone. "I scouted out the fire side, it's even deadlier than the ice one. I hope you don't find me there." The other four exchanged nervous glances as they watched her cackle.

"Luna," Chris said with a happy greeting, "I'm loving the attitude today, but if you don't join in on the pain train too, I will love it a little less." Luna frowned as Chris stepped toward them "Today," he announced, "you will be judged. You will be judged by every action you've done, and you will have to use that judgement for your challenge today. To bring in the judgiest of all judges, the queen of mean, the royalty of screwing up royally, Kayla!"

The helicopter eventually made it's way over the meeting area, where Kayla dropped from the sky and landed carefully. "Well," she admitted. "This isn't the final five I thought I'd see. How'd she get there?" Kayla pointed to Scarlett, who gave a short wave.

"She's been good for a while," Iris told her. "How much has aired?"

"Sky just got sent away. Pretty big cliffhanger, but I figured it's been taken care of." Everyone looked at her with a confused face. "Nah, just kidding, they filled me in on everything. Luna...what? Anyway, I'm here to judge you."

Scarlett raised her hand again. "So, what will these judgments do, exactly?"

Kayla pointed to either end. "They'll be your teams. I'll judge you based on whether you resemble fire or ice, and those are going to be teams. That's right, final five challenge is a team game. Immunity will go to the two, three or four people on a team. I don't know, I haven't judged you yet." She eyed up the final five. "So, who wants to be judged first?"

Everyone exchanged awkward glances, before Iris eventually stepped forward. "Yeah, I guess you can judge me. Isn't this biased?"

"Nope," Chris confirmed, "we're making sure she doesn't lie. Also, it's below her to be biased, allegedly."

"Hmmm," Kayla began, looking at Iris. "You've played with a heart of gold, but an exterior that would say otherwise. You didn't recognize your own faults until they were out of proportion, but that didn't stop you from forging ahead. Outside of challenges, you were off on your own, trying to figure out the best way to contain yourself. So, I guess you're a...controlled burn? Regardless, that's fire."

Chris had two banners in his hand, and tossed the one toward the right, the other to his left. "Iris, fire banner's on my right."

Kayla pointed at the next person. "Scarlett, I want to judge you next." Scarlett nodded as she stepped up. "You began your game as much as we had expected you to, already swinging at the big competition. However, your frozen and chilled heart began to thaw as you realized how alone you were in the game. Making one last move for allies, you showed us that even the most psychotic people are capable of compassion. But, because you were ice for longer than you were fire, I am declaring you as ice."

"Expected," Scarlett said with a sigh, walking over to the ice banner.

"Do me next!" Max shouted. "I demand it!"

Kayla snickered. "Sure thing, purple man." She stared at him for a while. "Your game has been...more involved than I would be led to believe. You're not really fire, more like a candle. Used to fuel someone else's flame, yet you weren't extinguished. Your flame was passed to someone else, and the fire inside you is driving you for the ultimate revenge...yeah, let me know when that happens. But, from that, I've decided that you're fire." Max smirked at the psychic as he walked over to the fire banner. Meanwhile, Scarlett looked nervous.

* * *

**Scarlett: **"I have no idea what Kayla will judge Luna as, but I'm pretty sure Jonathan's also fire. If Luna also is judged as fire, I'm in a very bad spot. Ah, I guess immunity's super important for me today."

* * *

Jonathan stepped up next. "Let's get this over with," he grumbled to himself.

"Oh, don't be like that, poison boy," Kayla teased. "After two seasons of total suckitude you finally turned things around this time. Got a nice lady at your side, well, not at your side, but now you're not the worst person here. Good for you. Too bad you're being blinded by revenge again." She pointed at him carefully. "You ought to watch yourself or you'll end up tumbling down the mountain like you did on Karon. You've been shifting toward the ice side, but for most of the season you've been fire. Hopefully putting you on the fire team won't be a mistake." Jonathan nodded as he walked over to the fire team. Iris gave him a scowl while Max didn't react.

Luna smiled at her former teammate as she approached Kayla. "Oh, this is lovely," she said. "Reminds me of my psychic days. So, what prophetic words do you have for me?"

Kayla laughed a few times before pointing at the ice banner. "Yeah, I have nothing to say to you. You're ice. Have fun."

Luna held her arm up to try and fight it. "But I thought that-"

"You're ice!" Kayla confirmed. "Seriously, did you expect something else?"

Luna grumbled as she went to the ice banner. "Looks like it's us," Luna told Scarlett. "Heh, kinda like the beginning of the season, right?" Beside her, Scarlett groaned.

* * *

**Scarlett: **"To be honest," she admitted, "I would have preferred being on a team myself. Even a team with Max would have been better."

* * *

"Well then," Kayla decided, running off to the side. Eventually, she pushed back the monitor and turned it on. "You may have noticed someone missing from your ranks recently, yeah?" A few people nodded and looked around, eventually figuring out who was missing.

Eventually, Jonathan decided to speak up. "So, do we know _where_ Chander is?" he questioned, trying to picture the co-host in his head. "You know, I think I've actually seen Paul more recently. When did he go missing?"

Kayla chuckled as she turned the monitor to them. On it, a screen began to glow, showing the island, now divided into a clear white and red section. "Turns out, Chander's been using tomato soup all season, instead of, you know, real fire, and Chris found out. So, to teach him a lesson, Chris locked him in a cage...somewhere."

"So you don't know," Luna said, clearly looking annoyed at the challenge."

"Nope," Kayla responded calmly. "But I do know this." She turned the monitor so it showed the island horizontally. An arrow appeared that showed the underground in the middle. "There's a cave in the middle of the island. Probably some puzzles too. And if you get them wrong, I bet they hurt. The first team to find Chander earns full immunity from the vote."

Max stepped forward and smirked at Luna. "Too bad your teammate is the least capable player. My _evil_ team will run you down!" Iris and Jonathan rolled their eyes.

"Alright, final five," Kayla said. "Get out there and go."

* * *

**Iris:** "Winning this challenge is more of a necessity than anything," she said. "Max and Jonathan might change their minds to Scarlett, but winning this challenge means that there's a chance Luna goes."

**Jonathan: **"I don't know how my vote's gonna go," he admitted. "I did vote off Angie last time, but Iris and Scarlett are still here. Is Luna's departure really worth that much to them?"

* * *

Chander pounded a few walls in the cage. "Ugh, this is not what I signed up for!" he complained. "I just wanted to mess with fire!"

"But you didn't," someone called off-screen. Chander turned around to see Chris, his employer. "Tomato soup isn't fire. You're gonna have to sit here until backup arrives, but they're gonna have to fight to get you out.

Chander chuckled nervously. "Oh, come on, you didn't expect me to actually try and kill them...right?"

"It's in their contracts," Chris said, "they're good to die." He was about to keep talking when his phone rang. "Hello?" After only a second, he recognized the voice and his eyes lit up. "Yeah, you finally got it? Good, how long do you think it'll be?" He waited a bit more before smiling at the response he got. "Perfect, can't wait."

Chander raised an eyebrow, looking for answers. "Who was that?"

Chris smiled darkly at his co-host. "Well, get ready for that final paycheck, because that was _Chef_." Chander gulped and retreated to the back of the cage. "And he'll be back soon."

* * *

The two ice girls began on the edge of the ice section. "Getting to the middle should be easy," Scarlett assured her teammate, pointing straight ahead. "I think if we take the edge of the island, we're less likely to encounter danger."

Luna scoffed and shoved Scarlett aside. "Sure," she replied with intense sarcasm. "Make us take the long way to lose and try and vote me off. Well, I'm not having that."

Scarlett shrugged. "Only one of us has to make it to Chander, right? Why don't you go the fast way, and I'll wrap around the edge like a smart person would do."

"Fine!" Luna shouted, beginning to move straight forward. Scarlett let out a huff and began to move to the left.

* * *

Jonathan looked out ahead at the fire side. "This place is crawling with danger," he said warily, watching a geyser of fire shoot out.

"Chander must have gotten a raise," Iris said warily as well, "this fire looks more deadly."

Max huffed and approached it. "Maybe it's a different species of fire." The other two looked at him with a blank stare.

"This shouldn't be so bad once we get underground," Iris pointed out. "But until then, we have to keep our guard up." At that very moment, a fireball shot out at the paranoid girl, causing her to duck. "Right...let's get moving."

The group approached the edge of a cliff, with an obvious path on the other side. At that point, a monitor dropped near them from a tree, causing Jonathan to stumble back. "Welcome to your first obstacle!" Chris told them. "Your path continues on the other side of this cliff. There are some things underground to help you get across. Shovel to the right." The three of them looked over to find a singular shovel sitting above the ground. "You can try and risk it and go with the first thing you find, or take more time and get more things to help you get across. Remember that this challenge is very important. So...have fun!" The monitor then retreated back into the tree.

"Do we get any clues on where things might be?" Jonathan asked the others, picking up the shovel. "There's no way we're supposed to just guess."

Iris walked up and stole the shovel out of the poisoner's hands. "You're taking too long," she grumbled, slamming the shovel into the ground in multiple spots. Eventually on one of her slams, a loud clink was heard. Iris began digging out what she had ran into, and pulled out a metal plank. She picked it up and laid it over the cliff. "This enough for you all, or do you want more balance?"

Jonathan and Max exchanged a worried glance. "Maybe...one more?" Max asked nicely. "or five?"

Iris groaned and eventually found another metal plank, and placed it directly next to the other. "Just...don't look down. We don't have time to be slow. Luna's end is based on our speed."

"Right," Jonathan said in response, as Max responded by charging across the two planks.

* * *

Luna approached a slightly similar puzzle. There were ice spikes shooting out over a small bridge, and a shovel was placed next to her on the right side. "This is not fair," she grumbled. "No one said there'd be puzzles on the surface!"

The monitor dropped down and Kayla was on it this time. "Welcome, girls," she said. She suddenly paused and looked at who she was talking to. "Did you two split up?" she asked. Luna replied with a simple nod. "That's too funny! Okay, anyway, use that shovel to dig up a lever. That'll turn off the ice spikes that will definitely kill you if you approach them." She then shrugged. "Or don't. That'd be funny if you didn't."

Luna groaned as Kayla's monitor took it's place back in the tree, and began digging. "How annoying," she muttered to herself, trying to locate the lever. "I bet Scarlett at least has this challenge too." She dug around a lot and eventually landed on a clank. She dug around the area to reveal a lever, which she pulled. Almost instantly, the ice spikes around her shut off. "Finally," she muttered, making her way across the bridge easily.

Meanwhile, Scarlett reached the edge of the ice section. "No danger here," she observed, carefully staying along the edge. She continued to traverse as she looked out to the center. "I hope Luna gets there in time," she said to herself. "I might need her to get me far enough. Then, I can betray her."

* * *

The three fire team members reached their second puzzle. It appeared to be a large square with lights in each corner. "Hello, fire team!" Chris said, dropping down from the sky in another monitor. "Welcome to your second puzzle: light them down!" Iris rolled her eyes at the name as Jonathan began to observe his surroundings, eventually laying his eyes on a box right above them. "This challenge is simple. Stand on all four of the lights at the same time, and you can keep moving. Your fourth member will be that box up there."

The three looked up to the box that was above them. "Knock it down with enough raw power, and push it to wherever you want. But be careful, if that box hits the ground too hard, it will explode."

"Explode?" Jonathan asked nervously. "You have to be kidding, right?"

"I don't kid," Chris confirmed. "That box will kill you if you don't find a soft landing for it." He chuckled. "Well, have at it." The monitor left as they began to look around.

Max was the first one to speak. "Well, this is useless!" he shouted. "How do we save ourselves with only leaves? This tree shouldn't even have them!"

"Leaves," Jonathan said to himself. "Leaves! We can use the leaves to cushion the fall."

Iris shook her head. "That won't be enough," she said. "It'll still hit the ground too hard." She let out a loud sigh. "One of us has to catch it." Jonathan and Max gasped at her. "Unless you two have a better strategy, we're catching it."

"Why don't we make this tree useful and chop it down?" Max declared. "I will do it myself!"

Iris was about to stop him, but then ended up stopping herself. "Wait a minute," she said. "Max is right. That can be a weight. We don't need the box."

Jonathan scoffed. "Like that box doesn't have some sensor that'll detonate it if we go without it."

"It's risky, but it's safer than catching it," Iris concluded. "Max, take down the tree." Max proceeded to take out a small gadget with a blade on it, and he threw it at the tree. Within a few seconds, the device cut through the entire tree, sending it to the ground. Jonathan picked up the tree and placed it on the upper left block. Once it was there, they all took their spots on the other three tiles. Once they were all in place, a light above them turned green. "That means we're good...probably," Iris concluded. They all kept moving.

Jonathan caught something ahead and pointed it out. "There's a giant...elevator up ahead?" he said, pointing ahead. "Probably one or two more puzzles and we're ready to save Chander.

* * *

"Are you kidding me?" Chris said back at the cave, "they didn't try to use my box!"

Chander rolled his eyes. "Why would you expect them to use the thing that would kill them? Of course they're gonna do the puzzle the real way."

Chris shook his head in anger. "When Chef gets here, you're in big trouble." Chander gulped again and ran to where he could.

* * *

Luna eventually got to the second puzzle. It had a triangle, and a similar box hanging from above. "Welcome!" Kayla shouted at Luna in a very cheery voice. "Having fun by yourself?" Luna didn't respond as Kayla laughed to herself. "Anyway, this is the triangle of terror, as I like to call it. Simple, get that box down from above you and use it to fill in the spot. Then, the rest of your team can take the other two lights. That'll drop that gate and let you keep going."

Luna scowled at the monitor. "You never said that we needed to keep our team together!" she shouted.

Kayla shrugged. "It's a team game? Yeah, so either find Scarlett or another thing to weigh down that final light." She was about to retreat before remembering something. "Oh, and if that box hits the ground too hard it explodes. Anyway, I'm off to go say hi to Chander. Bye!" The monitor then returned to the tree as Luna growled.

"This is annoying," she said. She looked over and saw a tree, which she knocked down eventually through brute force. "That's one weight," she said to herself. "Now, I need that box. Ugh, I hate being careful." Eventually, Luna grabbed the platform the box was on and swung up to the top. There, she tied ropes around the box, and pseudo-levitated the box to the ground, placing it on the second weight. "That took too long," she said. "I can tie knots faster than that. Ah, well nothing for it." She continued down the ice path once the gate lowered. "I'm sure Scarlett's doing better, how unfair."

Scarlett eventually caught sight of a tower. "Is that an elevator?" she asked herself. She was certain that that was the next destination. "Perfect, this'll be an exciting one. Hopefully I can beat Luna there." She kept running as fast as she could, which wasn't very fast.

Eventually, she was stopped as she skidded to a halt. She looked ahead and saw a giant chasm, very deep, but with water at the bottom. "That's definitely the wrong direction," she told herself. "Well, I can't cross it. Guess I have to meet up with Luna and do the puzzles."

* * *

The fire team reached the final location. "I'm struggling to find the puzzle here," Jonathan said nervously, looking ahead. In front of them was a bunch of tiny jumps that led across the chasm. Underneath all of that was a river of lava at the bottom.

Chris dropped to them on a monitor again. "Hey, look, you all lived. Luckily, this is your final trial before the grand finale of this challenge, and it's the easiest to explain. Just make all those jumps. No traps, nothing, just a bunch of jumps that will definitely kill you if you fall. Well, bye!" Chris left as soon as he finished explaining, leaving the three terrified teens to look ahead.

"I suppose there's nothing to help up cross easier?" Iris asked the others.

"Those metal planks from the first trail!" Max called out. "We must move quickly to beat Luna into the ground!"

Jonathan shook his head. "Won't cut it. Even if that did help us, we'd still lose easily. It'd take way too long to go back."

Iris looked down once more before looking forward. "Well, no sense in waiting." Iris began to make the jumps one by one. She lost her balance a bit, but was stable for most of it. Eventually, she got to the other side. "So, Chris wasn't lying, this is the last part before the big part of the challenge."

Max went next. "Remember," Jonathan assured him. "Just keep jumping, and if you think you're going to fall, dive in whichever direction is closest." Max nodded as he began. Every jump seemed to be a struggle for him, but eventually he was halfway over. At two thirds through, he slipped, which allowed him to dive all the way to the ledge, where Iris helped him up. "Alright, just me now," Jonathan said. "Great." He took a different approach, running very quickly across, skipping a few of the jumps.

Once Jonathan made it over, Iris was scowling at him. "Pretty dangerous, don't you think?" she asked sternly.

Jonathan chuckled. "You're one to talk. Isn't 'go big or go home' your strategy?"

"My strategy is far more complex than you'd ever hope to think of!" Iris countered, before letting out a deep breath. "We don't have time to fight. Let's save Chander."

* * *

Luna was in the same shocked state at the final obstacle. "Found it, finally," Scarlett said, approaching Luna at the same time.

"Found what?" Luna asked angrily. "I was busy doing all of these puzzles!"

Scarlett nodded. "And I got here just as quickly. Look, this is the only way across. It's pretty dangerous though. Do you think it'd be advantageous to-"

"Wait here?" Luna finished. "No chance. I'm getting over." Luna took a grappling hook out from her pocket and shot it. Almost instantly, she bypassed the challenge and got to the other side.

"Well, I suppose that works," Scarlett said. "Mind handing me that?"

Luna scoffed as she began to walk away. "No, you can't have it. Good luck. I'm moving ahead." Luna ran forward for the elevator. Once she got there, she was instantly angered. "Why isn't it working?" she called out angrily.

Kayla's face appeared on a screen above her. "Uh, yeah, you need your whole team for that thing to work. You're lucky enough Scarlett came back for you. Seems like you have to return the favor now." Luna growled as she turned around.

Once she made it back, Scarlett smirked at the pseudo-psychic. "Good, you came back," she said. "Hand over the hook and we can both make it safely over." Luna rolled her eyes and tossed the grappling gun over, which Scarlett caught. After shooting it and firing it, she swung over, but crashed into the top of the ledge. Scarlett quickly adjusted and grabbed the top, holding on with whatever she could. "Luna!" she called out. "Please help!"

Luna ran over to Scarlett, able to see the bottom of the icy chasm. "Well, if losing someone makes me my whole team...that's a faster solution." She prepared herself to knock Scarlett off the cliff.

Scarlett's eyes widened. "Luna, wait, don't- ah!" It was too late. Luna had slammed into Scarlett's hands, knocking them off the ledge, and forcing her to fall down the chasm.

Luna quickly got up and kept moving. "Well, that takes care of that. On to winning." She skidded into the elevator again, and it still didn't work. "Blast! That didn't get me through!"

"What were you thinking?" Kayla's voice sounded again. "You need your whole team. No Scarlett, no elevator!"

Luna glared at Kayla. "Scarlett is gone, out of commission. In a way, I _am _my whole team! I always have been!"

Kayla simply blinked twice. "Hold on, Chris is saying something to me...what? ...Yeah, so you're saying...really? Okay." Kayla turned to Luna. "I don't appreciate your methods, but Chris did, so...here's the elevator."

* * *

**Luna: **"Sending Scarlett down the cliff was the smartest strategy I've had all game. It gave me a free pass to win this challenge, not to mention it gives me a backup plan for once. If I lose, maybe they'll spare Scarlett once they see how much pain she's in...if she survives."

* * *

The fire team arrived at the bottom of their elevator first. The door opened, and they looked around. "_Vile_ Luna isn't here yet," Max said. "We must rescue this whelp so we can defeat her once and for all!"

Chander poked his head up from the cage. "Wait, Chris, their challenge is to rescue me?"

Chris shrugged. "It's to try. Who knows if they'll do it."

"I will!" someone shouted. Across from the fire team, the other elevator opened up, and Luna stepped out. "Hand him over, or you guys will share the same fate as Scarlett."

Iris fumed. "What did you do to Scarlett?"

Luna chuckled. "She was slowing me down, the chasm looked deep, and I found a loophole to the elevator. Need I say more?" Iris began to charge at Luna, who laughed as she stepped to the side.

Jonathan turned to Max. "Look, for all things considered, Iris is probably out on helping us. She's stalling Luna, though, so we need to move. Now." The two of them began to dash for the cage.

Luna grabbed Iris after another unsuccessful charge. "Give up," she taunted, tossing her to the side. "What's anger and rage gonna do for you besides end you up where she is? You know, at the bottom of the ravine." She chuckled at the joke. "Well, it's off to saving Chander." She approached the other two. "Step aside."

"I won't!" Jonathan declared. "You _will _pay for what you've done!" He stood his ground as Max kept moving. Meanwhile, Chris simply sat and watched the whole thing.

"Poison boy," Luna taunted, "you'll want to move. Iris and Scarlett were your threats, and I've cast them aside for you. What more could you want?"

Jonathan thought about it for a moment. "Well, I'd probably want time." Luna paused as she watched him explain. "Time to stall." He laughed as he shoved Luna down, and Max got Chander out of the cage.

"That settles it!" Chris said. "Team Fire wins, and Max, Iris, and Jonathan all have immunity. Luna, things are looking bad for you, but first...let's go find Scarlett.

* * *

"No!" Iris shouted, as she carefully slid to the bottom of the chasm. "No, no, no! How hurt are you?"

Scarlett grunted a bit before eventually sitting up. "Too hurt, that's for sure. I doubt Chris'll let me continue, and even if he does, I might not take that chance."

Iris sighed. "You have to! We need you to take her down!"

"No, you don't," Scarlett insisted. "Jonathan is smart enough, and you're tough enough. I know that for a fact. And...rely on Max some. When he's useful, he's useful."

Iris hung her head as Scarlett put a hand on it. "Hey, don't be all sad like that. You and Lavender opened my eyes. I'd trade a million dollars for that any day."

* * *

**Max: **"Scarlett was useful," he admitted. "But now it falls to me to eliminate the beast. I will do it!"

**Jonathan: **"Scarlett leaving might stink a lot," he said. "But it's important that she's alive, and now I feel a bit safer in this game.

**Luna: **"I don't get why they're mad," she admitted. "She's _alive,_ isn't she? Well, I guess it's really up to me alone to win this now."

**Iris: **"I can't let revenge blind me again," she decided. "But I don't know what to do from here.

* * *

Chris gathered everyone up at the elimination area, where the fire was roaring. "Well, this was a fun day," he said. "For me, at least. I tortured some teens, Chef's coming back-"

"Wait, Chef's on his way back?" Jonathan asked nervously.

"Yep," Chris said. "He'll be here soon. That's what he said. Now, to business. Scarlett was very injured today, and I gave her the choice, since I'm nice, and she has chosen to leave the competition."

Everyone looked up and saw Scarlett in the cannon. "Well, this was fun, I guess," she said. "I'm grateful for my time, but it wasn't really that great." She looked down at the others. "Max, show them what you can do, and maybe luck will be kind to you again. Jonathan, stop moping and getting revenge. Literally everyone's sick of it. Iris...I already spoke to you. Don't let her bring you down. Oh, or Luna." At the end of the sentence, Chris fire the cannon, sending Scarlett away for good.

"Her and Luna?" Jonathan asked the paranoid girl.

Iris chuckled. "She means my...my sister. But it was never her fault." She turned and scowled at Luna. "It was always yours. Well, I hope you have somewhere else to sleep tonight. It might be safer." Luna huffed and turned back, walking away.

* * *

**Jonathan: **"Final four," he said to himself. "Time to prove that I deserve to be here."

* * *

"This was quite the fun time!" Chris said as the confessional closed. "Will Jonathan ever stop trying to be a hero? Will Max do something useful? Is Iris actually okay? Find out next time on Total! Drama! Fiery Passion!"

(END OF CHAPTER)

* * *

**Votes: Merge**

**No votes **

**Eliminated: Scarlett (injury)**

* * *

**Current Teams:**

**Merge: **Iris, Jonathan, Luna, Max

Elimination Order:

19th (kind of)- Chander, The Spooky Prankster

18th- Sugar, The Pageant Queen

17th- Norm, The Antisocial Genius

16th- Jasmine, The Outback Amazon

15th- Marty, The Con Artist

14th- Kayla, The Brat

13th- Flora, The Pacifist

12th- Ethan, The Anti-Villain

11th- Shawn, The Zombie Conspiracy Nut

10th- Lavender, The Nature's Child

9th- Sky, The Athlete

8th- Kara, The Curious Girl

7th- Paul, The Pessimist

6th- Angie, The Hothead

5th- Scarlett, The Brainiac

* * *

**Scarlett redemption arc finally ends with a crash in the chasm. Ouch.**

**Interestingly**** enough, Scarlett's redemption arc was not planned until I started writing the second chapter. I decided to go with it because I needed an excuse for Scarlett and Luna to make it this far, and since they were always at each other's throats, neither could hold a fake alliance that long. Despite the late arc plan, Scarlett was always scheduled to be eliminated here, with the same method.**

**Now, we are down to four, and I'm actually really pleased with this final four.**

**Iris- Allying with Scarlett softened her up, and she's had a lot of development. She was planned to be one of the main characters form the start.**

**Jonathan- Another main character plan, and I wanted him to get a really good redemption, since people like Gretchen did well in Submerged, and Jonathan got...27th.**

**Luna- My favorite villain to write, because she has no limits. When she needs something done, it happens.**

**Max- The dark horse of the season. It's been hilarious watching people guess him each chapter to be eliminated.**

**Well, with those four left, who's your pick to win? Who do you think is going next? Only one way to find out. See you next time!**


	16. Buster Boats

**Replies, fired up**

**Guest 1138- Chef and Chander will interact quite a bit, so expect some wacky shenanigans from them...or something. Four in a row is pretty good, can you make it five?**

**Sephiria Arks- I think everyone's changed quite a bit. Luna's just gotten meaner. Her first confessional this episode shows that, especially the word she uses instead of eliminate.**

**Guest- Luna and Scarlett sounds like a neat finale for sure, especially considering how different their individual arcs were. But I really like the finale choice I settled on.**

**Candela Monsoon- To put it bluntly, I didn't want Luna to win twice in a row, and she'd certainly lose in a vote. You also have some very neat predictions.**

**Final four...only three chapters left.**

* * *

Episode 16: Buster Boats

Chris stood on the dock. Chander was not there this time. "Last time, on Total Drama Fiery Passion," Chris introduced, "we said a 'hello' to Kayla, who passed judgement on her friends and enemies. Splitting them into a team challenge, the two teams cooperated, or didn't, to get to the goal of saving Chander." The first clips were Kayla judging Jonathan, Luna and Scarlett being forced to team up, and Chander being locked in the cage. "He will pay for messing up my season. Anyway, Scarlett decided to not do the puzzles, leaving Luna to wallow in them. Meanwhile, the fire team very boringly got their puzzles done with relative ease, combining their three brain cells and a hint of muscle." The next clips were Iris snatching the shovel from Jonathan and Luna grappling over the final puzzle. "Hoping for a clean loophole, Luna took matters into her own hands, injuring Scarlett to the point of no return- no really, she's out of the competition." The last clips before switching back to Chris were Scarlett falling and her getting blasted from the cannon.

"Well, that leaves us at four," Chris said. "Will it be Luna, the cunning psychic who leaves no one to safety? Will it be Jonathan, the redemption-bent poison man? Will it be Iris, who's been steamrolling over them all, or will it be Max, the one that's been taking them all by surprise? There's only one way to see who makes it to the thrilling final three, right here, on Total! Drama! Fiery Passion!

* * *

**Opening Sequence**

[Various cameras began to appear in a similar way to the other seasons. The first one appeared out of a lily pad, which seemed to be mechanically connected to the water. Next, one came out of a tree, which spit out some fire as the camera popped out. The final one fell on top of the outhouse confessional, and exploded into a burning flame. The camera then began to fly as the opening played.]

_Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doing fine,_

[The camera arrived at a waterfall, where Shawn poked his head out, to see Jasmine waiting for him. He waved a signal as she went in.]

_You guys are on my mind,_

[Next to the waterfall, Marty stares at them with a scowl on his face. He picks up a stick, smirks at the waterfall, and snaps the stick.]

_You asked me what I wanted to be, and I think the answer is plain to see_

[The camera flies over the waterfall, where Sky is doing Olympic style jumps. She lands one perfectly, much to Jonathan's amazement. Iris runs by and smacks Jonathan over the head. Ethan laughs in the back as Jonathan fumes.]

_I wanna be famous!_

[The camera flies to a clearly mechanical mountain, where Paul and Angie are intensely competing. Angie barely beats him up the hill, which angers Paul.]

_I wanna live close to the sun_

[Lavender and Flora smile at each other as they run off. A hand reaches out to stop one of them.]

_Go pack your bags, 'cause I've already won_

[Lavender turns her head to see Scarlett. The quiet brainiac signals for Lavender to follow her instead.]

_Everything to prove, nothing in my way,_ _I'll get there one day_

[As Sugar tries her hardest trying to build something, she laughs at her own brilliance. Meanwhile, Norm fakes a fall, knocking it over. He gives the pageant queen a sheepish but fake smile.]

_I wanna be famous_

[Paul and Angie are seen in a hot race again, this time Paul has the lead. He skids to a halt and trips her, causing her to fall.]

_Na na nanana na, nanana na, nananananana_

[Kayla kicks the ground, evidently bored, while her sister, Kara, investigates a pipe spitting out fire on the others side. A ball of fire shoots by and ignites another pipe, which causes Kara to look back. Chander is seen blowing out ignition fuel.]

_I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous!_

[Various other high ranking, non-competing contestants appear in silhouettes, as fire shoots out from behind them. Some have items like swords or heavy weights in their hand. Others are just standing there in a menacing fashion.]

_I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous!_

[The scene zooms into the fire, which changes to a traditional campfire.]

_*Whistling*_

[Luna stares at Max with a bright green glow, while Max offers her a contraption he made. The psychic fixes it with her mind, which causes the others to glare at her as they whistle.]

* * *

The episode opened as Iris was laying on the top of the bunker. Eventually, Jonathan came up to talk to her. "You still upset about Scarlett?" he asked her.

"Yeah," the paranoid girl replied. "I finally find one person I can trust, and Luna takes it away from me. That kinda ticks me off."

Jonathan raised an eyebrow. "Wait...just her? So you don't trust me?"

Iris let out a small chuckle before glaring at him. "You? Mr. Wild Card, 'I'm not playing by anyone's rules'? Absolutely not. You sold me out for a vote and were the reason for Paul's departure, and he was an ally we could've kept. I'm considering getting rid of you _first._"

Jonathan scoffed. "First? As in before Luna?" Iris nodded. "You know she'll dominate you. You can't stop her."

"I can take her out whenever I want," Iris said carefully. "Scarlett said so, and I believed it. I'm dragging her as far as I can, so I can crush her like a _bug_." Jonathan blinked a few times before putting his hand on his chin.

Meanwhile, Luna watched them from the bottom of the bunker, cackling to herself.

* * *

**Luna: **"This will be fun," she admitted. "I nearly killed Scarlett for saying the exact same thing Iris just did. I need to reread those contracts to see if I can actually kill her..." She paused a bit before letting out a deep breath. "If only. My best chance is to convince her to vote off Jonathan. Trust me, I can kill her whenever I want."

**Jonathan: **"So let me get this straight," he said to himself, thinking out loud. "Max is gunning for Luna, Iris is gunning for Luna, and Luna's trying to oppose the two of them at once. No one's going after me. And just when I thought I had a clear shot to the finale, Iris brings that up. I'm annoyed, to say the least."

**Iris: **"I hope this goes well today," she said. "I think as long as I string Luna along, I'm never the biggest threat. Plus, defeating her so late will be immensely satisfying."

**Max: **"This is what I'm capable of when Chris doesn't meddle in my schemes!" he declared. "Once I beat Luna, I will beat...well, I'll figure out who I beat next, but I will beat Luna now!"

* * *

She then left and began to walk around, when she encountered Max. "Out of my way!" he demanded from her. "Evil pays little attention to the sickening."

Luna rolled her eyes, and kept walking, before pausing and turning around. "Do you wanna vote out Jonathan with me?"

Max seemed appalled at the proposition. "Do you think you still deserve to be my sidekick? I will only vote for you!"

"Right, worth a shot," she told herself. "But all I'm saying is that I heard him say you'd be a good finale pick, because he'd beat you easily."

Max gasped at first, but then let out a huff. "Then let him do that! I will prove him wrong when the hour arrives!" Luna sighed and smacked her forehead.

* * *

**Luna: **"Ugh! It's like trying to reason with a rock. Actually, a rock would be less stubborn." She laughed to herself briefly. "Well, he's out, clearly, I guess I have no choice but to manipulate Iris until she votes off Jonathan. Or maybe Jonathan wants to vote with me this time...ah, I guess I'll keep my options open.

* * *

The fight was stopped by the blaring of the speakers. "Hey, get down here, it's time for a challenge!" The two looked up for more directions. "What? Did you expect me to say more? Get down to the beach."

* * *

The final four made their way to the beach, where they were all standing next to each other. Chris had four boxes behind him, each with a picture of a player's face on it. "You ready for a fun challenge full of hurting each other?" Luna gave off a grin while the other three let out a loud sigh. "This challenge is only as dangerous as you make it out to be, so before we explain the challenge, I want to assign each of you a helper to make things more fun!"

"We get helpers already?" Jonathan asked. "I don't get it."

"Something's up," Iris decided. "My intuition said so."

Chris chuckled. "Your intuition is going to be rattled then," Chris said. "Why don't you go first?" Iris grunted at the offer, but eventually gave in, walking up to the box with her face on it. She lifted the lid, and Sky appeared from the crate.

Sky and Iris groaned at the same time. "Oh no, not you!" they cried out together.

"You eliminated me!" Sky complained.

Iris nodded. "And you'd be dead meat in this group. I was the better choice, obviously."

Chris laughed. "Isn't this a touching reunion? Well, who wants to go next?"

* * *

**Iris: **"It...it could have been worse. Making Sky help me won't be easy, but I think I'll manage."

* * *

Jonathan approached the boxes next. "I guess I'll have a go at it. Although I'm kinda bummed I don't get Sky..." He walked over to his box and lifted the lid. "No! You have to be kidding me! Not him!"

The box's lid was thrown off, and Ethan burst out of it. "Oh, don't be like that," he teased. "After all, once again, the only thing standing between you and a million is...me." He laughed again as Jonathan threw his hands on his face.

* * *

**Jonathan: **"That could have gone a lot worse...probably," he decided. "I could have gotten...actually, no, this was my worst option."

* * *

Luna walked up to her crate next. "Who's in here, Scarlett?"

Chris shook his head. "You'll have to think harder than that. Since Scarlett's out of commission, we opted for the person who knocked you off your spoke for a bit."

Luna thought about it for a bit longer, trying to figure out her new ally, but instead eventually concluded on opening the box. She received quite the shock when it opened. "Miss me?" Paul asked, taking a swing at the villain. Luna quickly ducked, before groaning at her partner. "Yeah, yeah, suck it up," he said. "I'm only helping you win if you give me something in return."

Max approached his box last. "Who have I gotten as an evil sidekick?"

Chris simply smiled at him. "I don't know, but it will be fun to watch you find out."

Max shrugged as he opened his box, and out popped Sugar, who was already laughing at him. "Hahaha! This is gonna be great!" She proceeded to mock his voice tone, saying, "Time to evil!" She let out another laugh as Luna smirked at the evil boy.

* * *

**Max: **"That woman will not get away with making a mockery of me!" he declared. "I will make sure she falls to the ground!"

* * *

Chris laughed as each of the four lamented at their partners. "Looks like everyone's having a touching reunion," he said with another laugh. Here's the deal, these four are going to help you win the challenge. And, they _are_ required to help you. The fact that they're so against you is for my own personal amusement." Chris looked at the four helpers. "Got it?" Paul groaned on the side.

Ethan held his hands up in defense. "I may not like him, but I'm going to win regardless. I have too much pride to take a loss like that."

"Whatever gets you by," Chris said. "Now, onto our challenge." He pressed a button on the remote, and a curtain rose, revealing four boats behind it. "Welcome to the Fiery Passion styled boat race!" Chris announced. On cue, multiple geysers of fire shot out from the sides. It was very evident that this was actual fire, and not Chander's substitute. "Each of you will take a role: driver or gunner." A few contestants started to eye up the barrels on each of the boats.

Chris pulled up his monitor and showed a map of the island. "This will be both a race and a battle. You need to lap around the island three times to win, but you also must be the last boat standing."

"What if everyone gets shot down before three laps are done?" Jonathan asked.

Chris shrugged. "No immunity, I guess." A few people grumbled at that prospect.

Iris stared down Sky. "I have an order that I want you to follow very closely," she said, handing her a list. Sky reluctantly took it. "Shoot down boats in that order. I want to drive."

"Making plans to shoot already?" Chris asked mockingly. "Better be careful. Each boat is equipped with only three fireballs. You run out of those, and you're a sitting duck." He pointed at the map again. "Or, you could try and push the other boats into traps. That works too. So, everyone understand how this works?" Everyone nodded. "Good, pick your roles and head out."

Max turned to Sugar. "I'll handle the gun. You're not evil enough for it!"

Sugar laughed at him again. "Okay, and I'll make sure to drive as evil as possible." She giggled again, causing Max to groan.

Ethan looked at the other teams. "Look, if you want to win, let me gun. You won't do it if you do."

"Why's that?" Jonathan asked aggressively.

"Because you're too scared to shoot at Sky's boat. I'm not," he said calmly. "Do you want to win or not? Rumor has it that Iris wants you out." Jonathan held his hand up to argue, but eventually gave up and put it down. "Good," Ethan said. "Now, let's win, yeah?" Jonathan grumbled in agreement.

Finally, Paul stared right at Luna. "I'm gunning. You don't have enough skill to do it."

Luna scoffed. "I'm still in the game, and it's my decision! I'll do it! You can't tell me what I can't do!" Paul snickered as she approached the gun in the boat, grabbing onto the handles. Luna proceeded to push him aside. "I said it's _my _decision!" Luna shouted again. This time, Paul nodded with a hint of worry and went to the wheel.

* * *

With everyone lined up, Chris got ready to send them off. "Remember, you need to be the last one to cross to have a shot at immunity," Chris reminded them. "And, if some people live, well that's not my issue."

"We need immunity," Luna told Paul. "You will drive straight, and I will take them out with one shot each."

"Yeah," Paul said mockingly, "sure thing." As the air horn sounded, Paul began to drive, and Luna immediately aimed at Jonathan's boat.

Ethan aimed right back at Luna once he noticed her. "You shoot," he warned, and we both go down. If you lose, you're out, and you know it."

Luna smirked. "Not at much as you would like to think." Right after she finished, she fired, and so did Ethan. Their fireballs collided in the air as the two drivers began to move along the course with caution, trying to dodge all the traps that were a threat to them.

"Go!" Ethan shouted at Jonathan. "Drive! Luna's coming!" Jonathan immediately sped off and tried to get away as fast as he could.

"Tough break!" Chris announced. "Jonathan and Luna are both down a fireball already, putting them off the track of immunity. Can Iris or Max stop them?"

* * *

**Luna: **"One one hand," she analyzed, "Jonathan needs to lose so I can shift Iris's focus. On the other hand, I can't do that until after the challenge, meaning I'm going to have to work extra hard to be able to work them today. And none of this can happen if someone who isn't me wins." She paused for a second before adding, "Max can't win either...it's a personal vendetta."

* * *

Iris was taking an early lead, getting ahead of the rest of the group as Sky picked up the list Iris had handed her. She looked at the first name on the list.

_Jonathan._

Iris's handwriting was not that great, but it was clear she wanted him gone. Carefully, she aimed the cannon at her boyfriend's boat, and watched as Ethan took note of her coming to shoot at him. He retaliated by aiming right back at her, but not firing. It was a stalemate at that point, but Sky was aware that she had to break it, or Iris would not let her get away cleanly.

On the other side of the exchange, Jonathan took a second to turn back to Ethan. "Careful," he warned, "that's our second shot, and Iris knows that. She'll have Sky fire regardless of whether you retaliate."

"So...let her hit us?" Ethan questioned. "We only took last hit because we fired."

Jonathan paused for a second. "Luna is a better shot. Sky's good with things where she uses her full body." Ethan shrugged and lowered the gun, still checking around for other potential danger.

Back on the other boat, Iris turned around for a second. "Don't just stand there, fire! You're locked down!"

"I don't want to waste it!" Sky countered. Right as she shouted, a geyser of fire shot out from the ground, causing Iris to swerve right and narrowly miss it. "See?"

Iris grumbled in defeat. "Fine, but fire now." As commanded, Sky fired off a ball.

"Sorry!" she shouted as the fireball came rushing toward Jonathan's boat. As it got closer, Jonathan sped up as much as he could, and in the end, the ball narrowly missed the boat.

"Do I need to do both of these things?" Iris shouted very angrily. "I don't necessarily need immunity, but I need these people to _not _get it!" Sky gave an apologetic smile as the two of them kept moving.

As she continued to go forward, Max had appeared right before her, trying to pull ahead. Sugar was doing a good job of crashing relentlessly into Iris's boat. "Stop it, minion!" Max demanded, as Sugar gave off a giggle. "We need to be steady so I can blow Luna to smithereens!" Iris decided to take the chance, and stop where she was.

Sky poked her head out from behind the cannon to see if something was wrong. "What's up?" she asked the paranoid girl.

Iris pointed ahead to Jonathan's ship. "Take it out now. I stopped so we can be straight with it. Don't miss this time."

Sky, having all but no choice, fired the second fireball at Jonathan's boat. This time, it hit. Iris smiled at her small success.

* * *

**Iris: **"Here's the deal," she explained. "Max is the second best choice for immunity, other than me. After that, I want Luna. I'd prefer if she didn't but Max would be motivated to destroy her. This is the smartest course of action. Jonathan needs to go now. I can't trust him."

**Jonathan: **"What is she thinking?" he asked with a hint of anger. "Iris knows that I'm not Luna, right? I don't get where all this hostility came from!"

* * *

"We're hit!" Jonathan called, trying to drive as best he could.

Ethan grumbled, trying to find something to patch the hole in the boat up with. "Keep driving!" he shouted. "We can fix this and go back to shooting. Iris is down to one fireball, so once that's out, we can destroy her."

Jonathan tilted his head. "What about Luna, the overarching threat?"

Ethan snickered at the response. "You'd rather go after some rinky-dinky mean girl than the person actively trying to beat you?" Jonathan was shocked at his choice of words. "Yeah, she doesn't scare me, but Iris does. She's been unstoppable, and now's your chance to make it happen." He still didn't get it. "This is your problem! You've always been so 'in the moment'! Think about what's ahead, so it doesn't smack you in the face!"

The verbal berating was ironically halted by what was right in front off them. A geyser of fire shot from directly under them, and it hit the dead center of Jonathan's boat, breaking it in half. "How do you suppose we fix this?" Jonathan asked with a large angry tone in his voice.

"You're not fixing that," Chris said with a laugh. "Jonathan's out right before round one! You only need to sink two more boats to have a shot at immunity!"

* * *

The two leading boats were still Max's and Iris's, as Luna and Paul drove up behind them. "Prime shooting," Luna said with a smirk. "I kinda want to hit Max, he'll be easy."

Paul chuckled as he continued to drive. "You're an idiot then. Take out the person who's the bigger threat!"

"The biggest threat behind the turrets is Max!" Luna argued. "Sky's useless, and Iris can't shoot! I'm firing at Max." Luna aimed the barrel right behind Max, and then lowered it to hit the spot that he was standing on top of. "Perfect," Luna said with a smirk. "Now, just to guarantee that hit."

Luna then got out a rope with some sort of coating on it. "Guide it well," she said carefully to the rope, before tying it on the end of the turret.

Luna fired, and the rope attached itself to the fireball. Luna guided the fireball perfectly to the spot, and it was about halfway there before Max turned around. He opened up with a scream, and that caused Sugar to turn around. "Hm?" she asked, making the boat go slower. This didn't give Luna enough time to react, and the fireball hit Max instead of the boat. Max got flung out of the water, but was fine.

Paul shook his head. "Now they're losing. It's time to put our final shot on Iris. Max will eventually befall himself." Luna began to argue but decided not to, allowing Paul to continue on his path to Iris's boat.

Iris had a solid lead, and was now crossing over the finish line. "Iris has completed one lap!" Chris announced. "Luna's closing in on her first, and Max is still getting going again. It's anyone's game, as long as you fight the others!"

Sky turned to Iris. "Let's play defensive. We can try and sink the others later." Iris didn't like the sound of that idea, but relented for the time being.

* * *

**Luna: **"Max winning the challenge is the best case scenario, other than me. I need to remember that. Iris has to go down. Max will take himself out...right? Right?"

* * *

At this point, Iris was nearly halfway done her second lap when Luna approached. "Where do you want her?" Paul asked, getting ready to steer near the girls' ship.

"To my left," Luna demanded. Paul nodded and spun the wheel, bringing it right in front of Iris.

The paranoid girl caught her immediately and turned back. "Sky! Take them out, now!" Sky fired first, and Luna had no choice but to retaliate. Their fireballs launched at each other, and before anyone could do anything, the fireballs collided with each other, creating a large explosion.

When the smoke cleared, both parties looked at each other, realizing that they were both out of fireballs. "Don't relent!" Luna shouted. "Ram into them!" Paul did his best to make a clear shot right to them, but Iris sped away before they bot the chance. With Iris ahead, She ordered Paul to stop. "Let's get Max instead," Luna said with defeat. "Even if he's fully loaded, we can get him." Paul nodded as he spun the boat around.

* * *

**Paul: **"I'm allowed to be in here? Huh, cool." He hung his head. "I despise listening to Luna of all people," he admitted. "But she was my assignment. Truth is, we get a small payment for following the rules, and it's the only reason I agreed. I hope they take out Luna. Going back for Max is a terrible decision, but I won't argue with her."

* * *

When Max caught sight of Luna returning, he laughed maniacally. "The fool has returned for her day of reckoning!" he cackled. "Open fire!" He swung his arm forward, and fired all three of his shots right at the boat.

"Dodge them!" Luna cried out. Paul missed the first two, but the third one hit the side of the boat, and water began to leak in. "Fix this!" Luna demanded with a shriek.

Paul shrugged. "We've been hit. I don't have anything to patch this up with!" he turned to Luna. "Maybe we give up."

"No! I won't!" Luna shouted. "I've gone too far to back out now!" She got out of the gunning area and began kicking with her legs in the water to get the boat to move. "Drive! We'll go crash Iris before I go down!"

Paul let out a sigh. "I'll do my best, but with a leaky boat we're not going anywhere at a good speed.

* * *

Iris and Sky now had an almost unstoppable lead. "Iris has taken the second lap!" Chris announced. "She may be winning, but she has to take out the others before she crosses, and no one has fireballs anymore! Luna and Max are badly damaged, can they catch her?"

"Badly damaged?" Iris asked with a smirk, looking up at the speakers. Right after that, she spun the boat around, and floored the gas pedal.

"What are we doing?" Sky protested. "They'll try and take us down!"

Iris didn't relent. "But they won't," she assured her partner. "We'll break them down as easily as we need to. Our boat's in the best condition, so we'll win." Sky gave an uneasy look as she sat on the boat, useless without fireballs.

Luna gleamed as she saw Iris returning. "She messed up," Luna said, jumping back into the boat. Without her extra power, the boat moved slower. "Take her out first!" Luna ordered to Paul. "Without her, Max winning is fine! We have to destroy her!"

Paul groaned. "If you let anger take over you, you'll lose too."

"I'm counting on it," Luna said darkly.

Paul was absolutely shocked by this. "Yeah...okay then." He swerved right into Iris's boat, which didn't do too much damage, since it was already slow. Iris took the opportunity to ram them back.

As this was happening, Max looked on. "Good, they're fighting," he beamed. "Time for a tactical retreat. After all, if they destroy each other, then evil wins!" He looked down at Sugar. "Now, minion, drive!" Sugar giggled again as she kept driving ahead.

Iris rammed into Luna's boat again. "Just...break already!" Iris yelled, trying to damage Luna's boat enough.

"You...first!" Luna shouted, trying to crash at her again.

Right as they tried to ram each other again, a geyser of fire shot out, blowing up both their boats. "No!" They both shouted at the same time, falling into the water and trying to dodge all the boat pieces flying in every direction.

* * *

**Iris: **"Luna's out...Jonathan's out." She smiled. "It doesn't matter that I lost, but now I have to make the right choice. My vote is the one that matters."

* * *

"Wow!" Chris announced. "Both Iris and Luna have taken themselves out of the competition. Max has a damaged boat, but he's almost done the third lap. It's up to him to pull out a victory, can he do it!"

"Drive better, minion!" he demanded. "Where did you learn to drive?"

Sugar laughed again. "Do you know how to drive? Or is that not evil enough for you?" Her tone on the word 'evil' was full of mockery.

"Of course I can drive!" he retorted. "How else do I drive to my babysitting job?" Sugar laughed at his response, as he stammered. "I mean...my evil conversion company! Yes!"

Sugar was so distracted from making fun of Max that she crashed into a rock on the side of the course, breaking the boat completely. Max yelled as he flew through the air and landed right on the rock with a thud. He glared at Sugar who simply let out an "Oops?"

Chris laughed. "Wow, what a way to go," he commented. "Well, with that fun development, it seems Max is out on immunity. And, with all four boats out of commission, that means no one wins! So, no immunity. Meaning...anyone could be eliminated." Jonathan groaned. Luna and Iris cheered before looking at each other suspiciously, and Max let out a yell.

* * *

**Luna: **"Okay, so I didn't win," she pointed out. "I need to be able to play off that. Iris knows I'm able to be beaten, so, I can make sure I remind her of that. Regardless of what she says, she's still paranoid, and I have to work that as best I can."

**Jonathan: **"Maybe I can grab Max," he said. "If I can get rid of Iris, then I have the best chance at winning. Ethan...was right. I have to think about the long term."

* * *

"So, since we're already here," Paul asked Chris as all the cameos gathered back on the beach. "Could we stay and watch the elimination? It is one of the final ones."

Chris actually thought about it before nodding his head. "Eh...what the heck. Sure, but only since all of you have placed above where they all are at some point."

"This will be exciting," Sky said. "I really want to see what happens."

"Meh," Ethan said with a bored expression. "I think it's already obvious who's going tonight. Luckily, it isn't who I'm rooting for."

Sugar laughed. "And who are you rootin' for?"

"Max," Ethan said nonchalantly. Everyone tried to stifle a laugh to no avail. "Say what you want," he said. "But his game's been perfect. Only Luna wants him out, and that's the reason he's going to win." Everyone started to understand his reasoning. "So, he might not win the finale, but he's getting there."

"You're forgetting that Iris and Luna are going to try and pull each other along," Paul said. "None of us every see Jonathan as a threat, and that only leaves Max to leave."

"Jonathan's a threat!" Sky argued. "Uh, not that I'd tell them that, because that would get him sent home..."

Paul looked up at the sky. "Well, it's too bad that we're out of the game, despite me beating all of you," he said. "I took down Luna once, so I could do it again."

"The exact reason she went with Angie on her vote," Ethan stated. "None of you think big picture. That's gonna be everyone's downfall. They're all focused on either the past, the present or the future alone. They're like giant chains used for combat, but everyone only wants one."

Sky was confused. "How is that a bad thing?"

"Because," Ethan explained. "The instant one of them lets go of one of those chains and grabs on to two, they get an advantage. Three, and they'll be untouchable."

* * *

"Iris!" Luna shouted, running up to her. "Glad I found you!" Iris turned around to find the pseudo-psychic smiling at her with clear exhaustion on her face. It was obvious she ran around the entire Island.

Iris groaned. "Let me guess, convincing me to vote for Jonathan?" Luna nodded. "That's great and all, but I'm not interested in hearing your reasoning." She smirked at her. "You can do something for me instead, and maybe I'll make that my vote."

"And if I don't?" Luna asked.

Iris shrugged. "I'll be left to vote for whoever comes to mind first, and given your history and what you did to Scarlett, you're always on the front of my mind."

Luna sighed. "Let me hear what it is first."

"Good choice," Iris said. "I want you to eliminate yourself next challenge. Not out of the game, just make sure you lose."

Luna scoffed. "Absolutely not! Losing a challenge in the final three is essentially suicide!" Iris simply yawned and walked off. Pressured, Luna caved in. "Wait! I'll do it!"

Iris turned to her. "Oh? And how do I know you're not lying? This wouldn't be your first deal on the island."

"You don't know," Luna stated. "But, I don't know if you're going to follow through on your end. So, I say we're even." Iris smiled with satisfaction before eventually leaving the scene.

"Interesting deal you've made," Jonathan said, coming forward to Luna. "Listen, I have a better one. You vote Iris, and she's out of the game. No strings attached."

"Go on," Luna replied with excitement.

Jonathan put up two fingers. "If we vote for Iris, and Iris votes for me, that leaves it up to Max, who will almost guaranteed vote you." He smiled. "So, it's a split between them, and Iris goes. Easy."

Luna smiled. "I like that deal better. Let's do that."

* * *

**Iris: **"That went well, but I still have another part of my plan to enact. To...stop things from going wrong. I won't let my guard down this close to the end."

**Jonathan: **"So, Iris is gone, and I'm in the final three," he mused. "I may have focused on the present or whatever Ethan told me on the boat, but this will get me where I need to be. I'll figure out what's next after Iris is gone."

**Luna: **"Now, the deciding vote has shifted to me. Big bad Luna has the big bad vote. Oh, this is exciting. I finally feel safe!"

* * *

Max was the only one in the bunker, and he was sulking about how his day went. "Mad at Jonathan?" Iris asked, coming in and seeing him upset.

"Why would I be upset with him?" Max asked. "Luna betrayed my trust."

Iris nodded. "Of course she did. But, between me and you, I think Jonathan thinks your weak." Max gasped. "Yeah, I know. I'll be honest, I think you are too. But, I'm willing to take you to the finale, so you can prove me wrong. Jonathan's also striking a deal with Luna at this very moment." Max gasped again. "Right, now you're mad at him."

"Luna will wait," Max said evilly. "I will eliminate Jonathan tonight!"

"Great!" Iris said in a hush tone, "but not so loud!"

* * *

**Elimination 15**

The final four gathered at the bonfire, sitting in a square, with Luna and Iris in the back, and Jonathan and Iris up front. Meanwhile, the four cameos were on the benches next to them, watching the chaos unfold.

Chris approached them with three marshmallows. "Campers," he said. "All of you messed up bad, and because of that, are all at risk of elimination." he turned to the girls first. "Iris, your recklessness once again stopped you from winning another immunity, or actually...any immunities." Iris let out a huff as Chris moved on. "Luna, you fired fast, and went out hard, but you still lost, and now you're in danger."

Chris then looked at the guys. "Max. Always trying to blow them away, but you always blow yourself up instead. Hate to see that happen." Max didn't react at the statement. "And Jonathan. Heard you got some advice, and then didn't listen to it. That advice came from a winner, right?"

"You didn't listen?" Ethan asked. "Okay, I thought you were better than that." Jonathan didn't react to Ethan's comment.

"Well, this ought to be fun," Chris said. "The first person safe is Luna, who had no votes against her." Shocked, Luna took the first marshmallow.

Sky was also surprised. "No votes? I don't get it."

Paul figured it out. "Someone convinced him to vote someone who isn't Luna. Oh...this will be interesting."

"The next safe person," Chris said, "is Max, who also had no votes." Max took his marshmallow without surprise. Ethan smirked at the other cameos, as they all seemed to finally get it. Meanwhile, Jonathan and Iris glared at each other, seeing who would best the other.

Chris laughed with the last marshmallow. "I'll announce the votes, for a bit more tension." Chris looked at his results. "One vote for Jonathan." Jonathan got very concerned, looking around to see who did that vote. "A vote for Iris." Iris perked up as Jonathan began to relax a bit. "Another vote for Jonathan." Jonathan got nervous again, and Iris got excited. "And, our final four member to leave is...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...Jonathan."

Jonathan was shocked. "Luna, you tricked me!"

"Shoulda taken that advice," Luna said playfully. "I looked past the present today. That's what you said, right, Ethan?" Luna asked. "I've now grabbed two chains. One to go and I'm unstoppable."

Ethan nodded. "You figured out the bear minimum. See if it saves you. I don't think it will."

"Don't forget that that last chain is between me and Max," Iris pointed out. "Even if you break one of us, we keep it."

"And you won't break me!" Max said. "Next time, you will fall!"

Sugar laughed at Max's declaration before getting up. "Well, it's been fun y'all, but I gotta go home. Them cows ain't gonna tip themselves!" At that line, the four cameos gathered in the helicopter and flew off away from the island.

Chris smiled. "I'm gonna miss those brats. You know, the real competitors. Well, Jonathan, off to the cannon with you."

* * *

"This is bogus," Jonathan said, sitting in the cannon. "I tried so hard this time and I get nothing for it!"

Chris laughed. "Cheer up, if you hadn't made the other three mad, maybe they would have shared some money. But...good luck with that." Chris pressed the button, and Jonathan flew out of the cannon.

Once he left, Luna turned to Iris. "Well, thanks for holding up your end," she said playfully, "I don't need to do mine now."

Iris smirked back at her. "As expected, already. But, I think you'll find that I'm more than ready for your fake mind tricks." The two began arguing as Chris watched on.

* * *

**Max: **"It is as predicted," he said. "With them fighting, I have a clear, evil path to the million, and I will use it for...maybe a better car. I don't get good mileage on mine."

* * *

The bickering was stopped by the loud roar of another helicopter that landed right in front of the cast. The door flew down, and steam rolled out of it. A dark grin stepped out. Chris gleamed as the final three yelled in fear.

"No," Luna said.

"Not him!" Max shouted in fear.

"You have to be kidding me!" Iris groaned. "We were so close!"

Chris smiled. "Welcome back, Chef." Chef stepped out and gave a dark smile at them. "What's Chef got in store? Who's going to be cannon food next? Did I lose Chander again? Find out next time on Total! Drama! Fiery Passion!

(END OF CHAPTER)

* * *

**Votes: Merge**

**Iris: **"Ugh, as much as Luna deserves to leave this Island, dragging her along is more important. So...Jonathan, you've made me mad recently."

**Jonathan: **"Iris is too fixated on me. She's my only shot at getting to that million. No hard feelings."

**Luna: **"Safety feels so good. Too bad this'll be the only time I have it. Well, Jonathan brought up a convincing point to me- that he's still dangerous. You sold yourself out, dude."

**Max: **"So be it. Luna remains. Jonathan is simply easier. I still wish to vanquish that witch!"

**Total: Jonathan (3), Iris (1)**

**Eliminated: Jonathan**

* * *

**Current Teams:**

**Merge: **Iris, Luna, Max

Elimination Order:

19th (kind of)- Chander, The Spooky Prankster

18th- Sugar, The Pageant Queen

17th- Norm, The Antisocial Genius

16th- Jasmine, The Outback Amazon

15th- Marty, The Con Artist

14th- Kayla, The Brat

13th- Flora, The Pacifist

12th- Ethan, The Anti-Villain

11th- Shawn, The Zombie Conspiracy Nut

10th- Lavender, The Nature's Child

9th- Sky, The Athlete

8th- Kara, The Curious Girl

7th- Paul, The Pessimist

6th- Angie, The Hothead

5th- Scarlett, The Brainiac

4th- Jonathan, The Lover Boy

* * *

**Okay, okay, yeah, I did that.**

**Jonathan's elimination felt off to me because it reminded me of Sunday Muddy Sundae- someone (Courtney) who did so much good and then threw it away at the last second. But, while Jonathan improved, I wanted it to be clear that he was still far from perfect: he allied with Luna, took pride in being the wild card, things like that. But, the redemption arc was actually planned really late, and I actually did it to give Sky plot. So everyone say, "thanks, Sky".**

**Overall, Jonathan went pretty well this season. He beat his personal best, albeit only by one, but it happened. Besides, I think the final three has been much more of the 'main characters' of the season. I categorize Jonathan with Paul and Angie this season- important side characters. Jonathan just happened to outlast the other two.**

**Something else that was planned late- the cameos sticking around. I wanted a nice little aftermath-like thing to wrap things up. After all, this season ends in two episodes. Oh, and Chef's back. That'll be fun.**

**Luna getting no votes? Iris backed into a wall? Max still in the game? It's anyone's chance at the million. Review saying who you want to win, and let's see if it happens. See you next time!**


	17. The Darkest Side of the Moon

**Replies, bundled up in a 3-in-1**

**Guest 1138- Luna as a finalist might be interesting, considering all she's done. Let's see of she can get there.**

**Sephiria Arks- Chef's plot might be a bit different than what you're thinking. It's a pretty short one since there's only two episodes left. Let's see what happens.**

**Candela Monsoon- Not only placement-wise, but Jonathan improved as person as well. He managed to thrive in a group of people that mainly hated his guts. Seems everyone thinks Iris will be a finalist.**

**One more set of replies before the thrilling conclusion. Have fun.**

* * *

Episode 17: The Darkest Side of the Moon

Chris smiled with Chef at his side. "You know, it's good to have you back to terrorize teens with me," Chris said.

"Glad to be back," Chef said. "Sorry I took so long." He paused. "Why don't you go on with your opening, or whatever."

"Sure!" Chris said with a smile. "Last time, on Total Drama Fiery Passion!" Chris announced. "We took the teens to their aquatic limit! With boats! Campers had to fire off fireballs at their friends and send them off the rails as fast as they could!" The first clips were Jonathan's boat breaking and Luna and Ethan firing at each other instantly. "Each camper was given a helper who was specifically catered to the player's hatred: Jonathan got Ethan, Iris got Sky, Luna got Paul, and Max got Sugar." The next clip was each player seeing their partner, and mostly complaining. "Some teams worked well together, and others bit the dust quickly. But, once Max found himself alone, a petty argument took him out of the competition. Shucks. I was rooting for the poor guy." He laughed as the clip of Max slamming into the rock played. "Luna found herself in a safe position and took the time to think about her actions...of what was to come, which put Iris in danger, but it put Jonathan in the cannon."

Chris was back at the dock, with Chef still there. "We're down to three! Over half of the kids will make the finale. Half of those people will be the winner, but legal says we still can't cut anyone in half. Who's next to go? Who's gonna run them over? Find out today, on Total! Drama! Fiery Passion!

* * *

**Opening Sequence**

[Various cameras began to appear in a similar way to the other seasons. The first one appeared out of a lily pad, which seemed to be mechanically connected to the water. Next, one came out of a tree, which spit out some fire as the camera popped out. The final one fell on top of the outhouse confessional, and exploded into a burning flame. The camera then began to fly as the opening played.]

_Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doing fine,_

[The camera arrived at a waterfall, where Shawn poked his head out, to see Jasmine waiting for him. He waved a signal as she went in.]

_You guys are on my mind,_

[Next to the waterfall, Marty stares at them with a scowl on his face. He picks up a stick, smirks at the waterfall, and snaps the stick.]

_You asked me what I wanted to be, and I think the answer is plain to see_

[The camera flies over the waterfall, where Sky is doing Olympic style jumps. She lands one perfectly, much to Jonathan's amazement. Iris runs by and smacks Jonathan over the head. Ethan laughs in the back as Jonathan fumes.]

_I wanna be famous!_

[The camera flies to a clearly mechanical mountain, where Paul and Angie are intensely competing. Angie barely beats him up the hill, which angers Paul.]

_I wanna live close to the sun_

[Lavender and Flora smile at each other as they run off. A hand reaches out to stop one of them.]

_Go pack your bags, 'cause I've already won_

[Lavender turns her head to see Scarlett. The quiet brainiac signals for Lavender to follow her instead.]

_Everything to prove, nothing in my way,_ _I'll get there one day_

[As Sugar tries her hardest trying to build something, she laughs at her own brilliance. Meanwhile, Norm fakes a fall, knocking it over. He gives the pageant queen a sheepish but fake smile.]

_I wanna be famous_

[Paul and Angie are seen in a hot race again, this time Paul has the lead. He skids to a halt and trips her, causing her to fall.]

_Na na nanana na, nanana na, nananananana_

[Kayla kicks the ground, evidently bored, while her sister, Kara, investigates a pipe spitting out fire on the others side. A ball of fire shoots by and ignites another pipe, which causes Kara to look back. Chander is seen blowing out ignition fuel.]

_I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous!_

[Various other high ranking, non-competing contestants appear in silhouettes, as fire shoots out from behind them. Some have items like swords or heavy weights in their hand. Others are just standing there in a menacing fashion.]

_I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous!_

[The scene zooms into the fire, which changes to a traditional campfire.]

_*Whistling*_

[Luna stares at Max with a bright green glow, while Max offers her a contraption he made. The psychic fixes it with her mind, which causes the others to glare at her as they whistle.]

* * *

The sun rose on the bunker, which was beginning to have an aura of emptiness. Luna was the first up again, and stretched out before letting out a big yawn. "Ah, what a great day," she said to herself, loud enough to wake the other two. "Just a fun day to crush one of you into the ground. Are you not excited?"

Iris woke up groggily and rolled over without much thought. "When I wake up," she said between yawns, "you're going...down." Iris fell back asleep.

Max decided to wake up for the day. "I will have you know that you should be at my feet!" he said. "I spared your life last elimination ceremony!"

Luna nodded. "Yeah, sure, but had you voted for me, we would have gotten the same outcome." Max gaped. "Yeah, unless you voted for Iris, then there would have been something different." She laughed. "But you didn't. I hope you enjoy reaping the rewards of being useless! I'll make sure you do!"

Max got up and yelled. "You'll rue the day you call me useless! I have been a pivotal player as of late! I wrecked your strategy. I incited revenge, all so you would pay!"

Iris, tired of the yelling, finally agreed to get up. "Yeah, he has done some stuff recently," she pointed out, still sleepy. "You should just watch your back."

* * *

**Iris: **"Am I scare of Max?" she laughed. "No. But, Luna is completely underestimating him. Today, I have to rely on his help to get rid of her. After all he's been through, maybe he does deserve a finale."

**Max: **"It is finally time to strike her down!" he said powerfully. "Once she is gone, Iris and I will have a proper duel to see who is the strongest. Obviously it will be me, but she will be a challenge."

**Luna: **"An idiot could figure out that Max and Iris are going to work together to get me out today," she pointed out. "Max? Easy. Iris has proved troublesome though. I have to go all out today to make it happen. No mercy."

* * *

"Fine," Luna said with a huff. "You want a challenge today? You'll get one! I'm not going to spare your lives today! If I kill you, then I'm closer to the million!"

Max shivered back when Luna said that. "You-you were being nice before? Your generosity is appreciated."

Luna smirked. "That's better. Fear me, if you value your life." With that, she walked out the door.

As soon as she left, Iris turned to Max. "We need to team up to take her down today," she said, "and if we don't, we lose. Today is the last day we can take her out."

Max shook his head. "Luna is no threat to me. She fell for one of my simple ploys. But, if you wish to acquire my aid, you shall have it."

"...Great," Iris responded. "I just hope whatever challenge this is doesn't stink too much. Maybe the cameo will be nice to us."

Max put his finger on his chin. "We have no mortal enemies," he observed. "None that aren't still here, at least. That means that there's a chance that-"

"You think so?" Iris asked. Max nodded. "Well, all we can do is hope at this point. Just remember, Chef is here. This might be a brutal gauntlet, or just a simple challenge." She groaned. "Just when we get to the end, there's another thing to throw us for a loop."

"Attention, sorry losers!" Chef's voice echoed. "Hop to the beach. NOW!" A breath of relief was heard. "Man, it's good to be back."

"Good luck today," Iris offered. "We're almost certainly going to need it."

* * *

**Chef: **"I got another reason for comin' here," he said suspiciously as he leaned closely to the camera. "I need to buy me some time to make it happen though."

* * *

The final three got themselves to the beach, Iris arriving first, followed by Luna then Max. "Here's your challenge!" Chef told them, "make your own!" Iris and Luna smiled and then grinned evilly at each other. "But, you gotta make it tough. I don't want any wimps in my finale, got it?"

"By tough," Max asked nicely, "does that mean physical or can I go for something a bit more-"

"Make it tough," Chef repeated. "It has to be real good, too. If I don't like your challenge, I'll make you one! And you do not want that!" Max gulped as Iris and Luna nodded beside him.

Chef let out a huff. "You got ten minutes to think of a challenge. I got my own work to do." As he walked off, the other three spent little time thinking about where he could be, and instead began to plot what would be the thing keeping them in the game.

* * *

**Max: **"Any challenge Luna can't do is my challenge! I have been thinking of countless of these since she betrayed me. Oh, they're all so diabolical! Which do I pick?"

**Luna: **"Okay, this is easy. Chef wants flashy, and I'm the only one who can bring that. Good luck, you two...you'll need it."

**Iris: **"Picking a challenge isn't easy," she admitted. "I need to find something I can do, and Max can also, but also something Luna can't. Luna and Max are nearly perfect compliments. She outclasses him at everything. This will be tough."

* * *

Chef wandered down to the underground chamber, where Chander was waiting in a cage. "Oh no, you're here," Chander groaned. "What are you gonna do? Drown me in soup? Break my legs? Oh that might be less painful..."

Chef was perplexed by the former co-host's words. "Break your legs? How long has that man had you down here?"

Chander let out a few coughs. "Not too long. You have water?"

Chef handed him a bottle of water. "You need this?" he asked. Chander gladly took it from him. "Look," he said, bending down to Chander's height. "I gotta keep it real tough up there, or Chris'll notice what I'm here for."

"Are you not here to host?" Chander asked. "That seemed like the logical answer."

"But it ain't," Chef said. "You gotta keep things running down there, I got preparations to make."

"Sure," Chander agreed. "But for what? I'd like to know."

Chef sighed. "We're sendin' Chris back to prison. Between the Scarlett incident and tryin' to burn you kids all season, he's earned it. No contract will save him." Chander seemed surprised to hear this. "It happens right after the finale, or earlier if that gets out of hand. Don't blow the cover."

"Got it," Chander said. "Uh, I can't work unless I'm out of the cage."

"Right," Chef said, ripping the bars open.

* * *

"Time's up!" Chef declared. All of the final three came running to him as fast as possible. "Before we get started, I'd like to bring in a second judge. Someone to make sure it's all 'fair' and whatnot." Iris and Max looked up pleadingly as the helicopter dropped down a ladder. Smoke filled the area as the person descended. Today's cameo," Chef said, introducing the contestant, "is here because he tried escaping a little too early for our liking. So, he's here to run a challenge."

Max perked up at the sound of that announcement, and figured out what was going on. Luna and Iris still seemed pretty confused on that matter. The smoke cleared to reveal his brown hair and khaki pants, as well as his unflinching expression of boredom and lack of wanting to be there. Luna gasped and Iris and Max let out a cheer.

* * *

**Luna: **"Not him! Anyone but him!"

**Iris: **"Yes! She's _so_ dead."

* * *

Chris returned to the area at the same time the cameo had dropped off. "Welcome back, Norm," Chris said with a laugh. "You forgot to read the part of your contract that said you might need to come back as a cameo."

"I did read it," Norm shot back. "I was just hoping you forgot about me." He took a look at the final three, more specifically his ex. "Great, you're here," he complained. "Chris how 'unbiased' do I have to be?"

"Enough for me to believe it," Chris answered. Norm groaned. "Luna? You okay?"

Luna seemed to be filling with rage. "No, not her! You can't do that to me! That's so unfair. I'll rip him to shreds if I need to!"

The psychic charged at Norm, who was swiftly saved by Chef. Chef pushed Luna back to her spot, and picked up Norm, placing him further away. Chris laughed. "Yeah, Chef, you might need to be on protection duty today. We can lose them, but we value our cameos." Chef grunted in agreement. "Now," Chris said. "I want to start with Max's challenge. I've heard it's crafty, so we gotta save the painful ones for later."

Max grinned darkly. "Haha! You will lose now!" He stepped forward. "Your challenge is to create something so diabolical, so intimidating, so deadly that it could stop Luna from winning!"

"So...just something to beat Luna?" Iris asked.

Norm chimed in. "Not necessarily to kill her, but something that would inevitably stop her from winning the game." He laughed. "Chander's junk pile is open. Good luck to anyone who I actually like."

* * *

The junk pile was completely unguarded this time, leaving the final three to wander around it as they pleased, hopefully grabbing something to save them from elimination. Luna poked her head around a corner as she saw Max grabbing several metal planks that seemed to be from the fire and ice challenge. Carefully, she approached him. "What'cha making?" she asked playfully.

"Your enchantments won't work on me!" he yelled at her. "I am making something so _evil_ that you will want to stay at...hm, probably around three and a half away. No, I think that'll be too heavy...this is tricky..." Max continued to ignore her and get back to his work. Seeing nothing she could do to inevitably sabotage, she decided to head out and find her other opponent.

Iris was pulling something up on a pulley, getting it as high as possible. "That looks dangerous," Luna said nicely, getting closer to it.

"Step near it, and I'll have this step on you," she said, not even looking up from what she was doing. Luna tried to stay out of her field of vision, but it didn't work. "I can see you getting closer," Iris told her.

Luna laughed playfully. "Oh, you got me, I guess. I'll just have to- hiya!" Luna threw a small piece of metal at the rope that was holding the object up. Iris ran far away from the object as soon as the metal snapped the rope, bringing the giant weight down. It crashed into the ground. Iris ran over to it, trying to lift it up again, but with the rope broken, it wasn't going anywhere. "Oops, have fun!"

Iris spun around and began to chase after Luna. "You're dead for that!" Panicking, Luna took out her grapple gun and fired it off, "teleporting" to a different location.

* * *

**Luna: **"Okay, that didn't work," she admitted. She stared blankly for a second. "Huh? Oh, yeah, she's set back on the challenge, I was trying to kill her."

* * *

Max was now pounding away with a metal hammer, making his metal bend to his will. "Finally," he said. "Now, I just need to find the finishing additions." He went back into the yard, where eventually, he found a remote control car lying in front of him. "Excellent," he said to himself, breaking the car. He removed the battery and wires, and began to wrap it around the metal he bent.

Finally, Max picked up the weapon he had forged, as lightning coursed through the sword. "Time to evil!" he shouted, pointing it in Luna's direction.

Luna, who had been watching nearby, jumped back and ran off to go find Iris again.

Iris was nearby, now with a more stable pulley system, and she had managed to find a bigger weight. Luna approached her, smiling. "What'cha got there?" she asked.

Iris grumbled. "I'm keeping my eye on you," she said. "You won't murder me this time either."

Luna let out a laugh. "Please, if I really wanted to kill you," she narrowed her eyes right at Iris. "I would have succeeded."

Iris began to stammer back before a buzzer was heard. "Time's up!" Chris announced. "Let's see what everyone made!"

* * *

The final three went over to Iris's area first, and observed what she had built. It was a large contraption, held up by four support beams. On top, was a giant weight reinforced by four pillars. "So...what is it?" Norm asked.

"A giant weight," Iris answered bluntly. "Luna stands under it, I cut these ropes," she gestured upward to a few of the ropes holding up the weight, "and she dies. You can't win Total Drama if you're dead."

"Okay," Norm said, poking at it carefully. "We unfortunately can't demonstrate with Luna, but do you have something else to show it off?"

* * *

The scene flashed to a car being rolled right under the weight, and eventually stopped directly centered beneath the giant crusher. "Let it rip!" Iris shouted gleefully, cutting the rope. It eventually spun around a lot, and the weight finally gave way, making it fall very quickly toward the ground. "The best part is," Iris explained, "is that it's reusable." Iris began pulling rope in toward her, and the pulleys began to work on bringing the weight back up to the top. Iris secured it once the weight was back up.

"Well," Norm said with a hint of nervousness. "That certainly worked." He kept walking. Max, you're up. Surprise me."

The group went right over to Max next, who was holding the item he made. It was clearly a sword, but the catch was that it was glimmering with active electricity. "Bask in the glory," Max introduced, "of the Metal Blade of Electric Doom!" As he swung it, the sword gave off small shocks in the air. Once pricked Luna, causing her to jump back.

"Allow me to demonstrate my high level of mechanical proficiency," Max continued. He had prepared a training dummy with the time he had left, and it had a crude drawing of Luna's face on it. Max ran right at the dummy, and swung at it. He managed to connect on the first hit, and the dummy nearly exploded, giving off shocks through the air as the pieces began to slowly come down to the ground.

"Wow," Norm said. "You...caught me off guard. This is impressive." He looked at it closely. "And, it's mildly practical too. Works better than a giant weight at least." Iris frowned. "But, giant weight was still impressive." He turned to the final contestant. "Luna, what have you brought for me?"

"Nothing," Luna said proudly.

Norm, shocked, blinked a few times. "I'm sorry, you...intentionally brought nothing to show me?" Luna nodded again. "Okay...why?"

Luna stood proudly. "Well, I figured that the best way to stop myself was to not accomplish anything. So, all I have to bring to you is a few failed sabotage attempts."

"You tried to kill me!" Iris complained.

"While sabotaging you. I didn't kill you, so I failed." She turned to Norm. "Well, like that?"

Norm chuckled. "Well, I'll have to see. Back to the beach for results."

* * *

Norm read off a clipboard. "Well, first place goes to Max. He made something that looked like it took effort, and was light and useful. Good thinking." Max beamed as Luna began to look nervous.

"Second place," Norm continued. "Iris. While harder to control and more of a hassle to reset, it wasn't as atrocious as what Luna brought." Iris shrugged in complacency.

Norm turned to Luna. "Luna, what you did was very clever, but it was also very stupid. Last place."

"Biased!" Luna argued. "Chris brought in a lousy cameo to make sure I lose! I will sue!"

Chris stepped in at that very moment to settle things. "Give it up Luna," Chris insisted. "I chose Norm to run this episode as soon as he left. If you didn't want to see him, you should have gotten booted sooner." Luna fumed, but eventually gave up. "Good. So, Max is in the lead with three points, Iris has two, and Luna has one." He gestured to the psychic girl. "But, your challenge is up next, so let's see what you got!"

"Oh, this will be good," Luna said evilly.

* * *

The group went to the underground chamber, where an obstacle course was set up. There appeared to only be one obstacle, a ledge higher up from the starting point, with a pit of spikes at the bottom. "This is it?" Iris asked, looking around. "I'm sure you're plotting to kill us in some other way, but...well, what are you actually planning?"

Luna laughed. "Norm, care to show these people how they'll die?"

Norm groaned. "Not sure how this one got approved, but here goes." He pointed at the course. "As you can see, there's only one jump. Your goal is to make it there without being shot by the dozens of motion-sensing lasers that are stationed throughout the room."

"Dozens?" Max asked nervously.

Norm passed out rope to the three of them, as well as a grappling hook. "The lasers will be easily deceived by some fake teleportation ploy. So, if you can to the top at a high enough speed using any of the tools given, they won't fire at you." He cleared his throat. "But, if you are hit, try and save yourself before you crash into the spikes below, because they are real, and you will die."

"Are you really going this far to kill us?" Iris asked. "You have some nerve. If I don't compete, then I don't have to die, right? I can manage being a bit behind."

Norm sighed. "No, sorry. Luna planned this with full intentions of murder. One of you has to complete it for us to move on, if both of you forfeit, then you're both eliminated."

Luna smirked. "Let me save you the issue of worrying about first place," she teased. Luna picked up her grappling hook and shot it right to the other end. Right before swinging across, she grabbed a rock and tied it to a rope. As she flew herself up the obstacle, the lasers began to fire, but her movement with the rock deflected all of the lasers.

By the time the rock disintegrated, Luna had made it to the top without issue. "Well, Luna gets first," Norm said with a heavy sigh. "Anyone wanna stop her?"

Iris grunted before shooting her hook across the obstacle as well. With no rock in hand, she did a small practice swing, which alerted a few lasers to shoot at her. She narrowly missed them, retreating back to the first platform. Iris seemed very upset after just the small excursion.

* * *

**Iris: **"I like to think that I'm pretty good at this kind of stuff," she said. "But Luna's agility with that rock was something else. I'm sure she's been practicing it. The way that rock moved, knocking down each of the lasers...she was planning to not have a finale at all. She wants no mercy." She laughed. "Fine. Once we hit my challenge, there won't be any mercy."

* * *

Luna watched from above as the other two struggled to figure out how the challenge worked. Growing impatient, she stood up and looked down. "You know," she taunted, "I could take one of you to the finale with me, and we'd just have to let me win Iris's challenge." She smiled at them with a fake smile as she gave her offer. "How does that sound?"

"That sounds atrocious!" Max declared. "We will take you down now!"

Iris shrugged. "I'll take that offer."

Luna stared Iris down with intensity before turning away. "I can tell, you'll betray me. You're still mad about the times I broke you." Iris fumed. Luna saw through her instantly. "Actually," Luna said to them, "Iris, you're going to be in a bad spot if you lose here. So, I think I'll spare Max. If I can break him in the finale, all the better."

* * *

**Luna: **"It's a bigger risk than killing them both," she admitted. "But, if Iris is only at three points by the third challenge she's in bad shape. If Max wins, so be it. I'll live." Her eye twitched a bit at the last part she said.

* * *

Luna took her rope and threw it down, and pulled it, grabbing Max perfectly. With all her might, she pulled him up, and he flew through the air, eventually landing up top. The lasers tried to fire, but he had enough momentum to get past them reasonably. As Max landed with a thud on the top, Iris began to realize her bad position. "Okay, that's fine, no one died, so good," Norm said. "Well, that puts Iris at three points, Luna at four, and Max at five."

"Shoot," Iris said, getting down from the course. "Luna has to lose, and I have to win. Otherwise...we messed up badly."

Luna smiled darkly as she walked by. "Hope your as good with a sword as you claim to be," she taunted. "I'm going to target Max, so unless you protect him, I'll be with you in the finale."

"If you mess up, then we'll be tied," Iris responded. "And I'll excel at anything Norm conjures up." She looked right at Luna. "He'll make sure of that, and you know it." Luna huffed and walked off, eager to defile the competition.

* * *

The final three now stood on a high platform on the beach. Below them was a large amount of water. "As you can see," Iris explained. "I made sure that we don't die if we lose." Iris was now wearing high levels of armor, as were the other two. Iris had blue armor, as Max had purple armor, and Luna's was green.

Norm cleared his throat. "Right, thanks for doing my job," he said blandly. "Iris's challenge is a simple sword duel, and it will go three ways. Your goal is to knock each other off of the platform, last person standing wins. Questions?"

"Yeah, I got a question," Luna complained. "This armor is completely rubber, so how are we not going to get cut in half? Rubber won't save us from sharp metal."

Norm laughed. "Scared, Luna? Well, you should know that chopping each other in half won't be a problem." At that moment, the swords were being handed out to them. Luna looked down at hers, and it was a blunt wooden rod, no area to damage someone too much. "Notice anything? Those swords won't cut you open, but they'll hurt if you get hit. Your armor is rubber since rubber is heavy, and that the swords are laced with electricity."

"I'm sorry," Iris interjected, "but I don't remember adding that to-"

"You didn't," Norm said, "but Chris and Chef liked Max's electro-sword or whatever so much that they implemented it here. So...sorry. Well, take your positions!"

* * *

**Luna: **"Here we go," she said. "If I can pierce the armor even remotely, I can shock them to the point where they give up or I can throw them off." She smiled. "I always thought that sadist girl was weird, the one from last season. Well, maybe she had the right idea, because I'm going to enjoy cutting them up."

**Max: **"It's time for Luna to fall! I will be the one to cut her down!"

**Iris: **"This is my challenge," she reassured herself. "I'll win easily, and that's all it takes for me to cut through. To victory!"

* * *

The three took their positions on opposite corners of the square, with one empty. Iris stood on the left, Max on the right, and Luna in the center corner below them, right in between the two. "Ready to die?" she asked. "I've already figured out two ways to kill you!"

"Psychopath," Iris scoffed. A buzzer sounded the start of the competition, and Iris began her pursuit. Her sword clashed with Luna's armor instantly, but as expected, there was no shock. Luna swung right for Iris's neck, but Iris was able to parry the attack in time, giving her a chance to move in. She swung a few times, but Luna was fast. She seemed to be able to predict all of Iris's movements and dodge them. "How are you not getting hit?" Iris asked.

Luna laughed. "I knew you'd be tough to beat," Luna admitted. "So I read up on the style of sword fighting Quaoar taught you." Iris gasped. "Yeah, be surprised. No matter what trick you have, it won't be enough!"

Luna's monologue was interrupted by Max charging at her, spinning sporadically in an attempt to knock her off. Luna quickly grabbed Max and shoved him to the side. Then, she got an idea. "I just need to beat Max to stay in this game," she said out loud. Iris can try to protect him, but it won't be enough. I can easily take him out, and then topple Iris in a sweet zone of concentration."

Luna charged at the super villain, ready to deliver a devastating hit. "Get ready to die!" she shouted, aiming for the eye socket of Max's helmet. Max's eyes widened as the sword got closer, but he relaxed when something else interfered.

"You're gonna have to protect yourself," Iris shouted, pointing her sword at Luna. "If you want him, you go through me first."

"Fine," Luna said blandly, and went for the same attack. Iris parried it again, and began with some powerful hits. As expected, Luna was blocking all of them, but it backed her to the edge.

Seeing an advantage, Luna thrusted her sword forward, causing it to hit Iris square in the stomach. She didn't get shocked, but she was hit back, allowing Luna to recover her footing.

Max took that chance to close his distance on Luna, and went for another hit. Luna was hit in the arm, but it didn't affect her too much. Luna used that hit to knock Max back again. "You can keep trying," Luna mocked. "But I will eventually catch one of you slipping up, and that will be your _death_."

"Evil doesn't die," Max taunted back. "I will make sure you're in the water this instant! To the end with you!" Max charged again, and Luna managed to smack away his sword. Instead of letting it fall backward into the water, Luna leaned back and caught it. "Uh oh," Max said nervously before running backward.

Now with two swords, Luna began approaching Iris. "I was going to save you for later," Luna said psychotically, "but I decided that I'm going to kill you now. How would you like that?"

"You're a nutcase," Iris said confidently. "This game really broke you. Too bad there's no way to remedy that. Best I can do is get you eliminated!" Despite Luna's clear advantage, Iris was able to hold her own against Luna. "Oh," she added, "Quaoar taught me multiple styles. I can swap if need be."

"W-what?" Luna asked again nervously. "You better not do that! You don't want to make me any angrier!"

Iris began enclosing Luna's distance from the edge with powerful hits. Luna wasn't able to focus on attacking and defending at the same time, so Iris continued to edge on her."

Max was still hiding in the back, watching the two girls fight each other. He looked to the side and saw several buttons. "Norm," Max asked nicely, "are these useful at all?"

"Very," Norm told him. "Those are traps. They should...I forgot to tell them about the traps." He laughed. "Goodnight, Luna."

Luna eventually found an opening to Iris's offensive, and swept her off to the side. Luna tuned her attention to Max. "I kill you now!" Luna shouted running forward. Hoping his plan worked, Max stood his ground, waiting for Luna to approach. When she got close enough, she readied a stab for his head again, but was sent flying in the air by a geyser of fire. "No!" she shouted. "That's cheating!"

"Stop whining," Norm told her. "You cheated all season."

"And it's time to pay!" Iris chimed in, swinging at her from the back. The geyser caused her to drop the second sword, allowing Iris to grab it. Luna backed off a bit, but realized Iris was coming in quickly. She readied an offensive attack, but Iris was skilled enough to dodge and attack. Eventually Luna got out again, but Iris pursued. "Max do something!"

Max pressed another button, and the square closed in, getting smaller in area.

Luna was now backed into the corner again, and as she swung, she made a giant mistake of leaving a side open. Iris swung in with the second sword, and knocked Luna's out of her hand. This time, there was nowhere to catch it. The sword was in the water. Luna dashed off again, with Iris still chasing her. Iris saw that Luna was gunning for Max now. "No!" Max shouted. "I'm just doing this! I have no weapon!" Luna kept up her assault. Max frantically pressed another button.

This button launched Luna back again on a spring. "Why are they only hitting me?" Luna complained.

"Because Max is activating them on you," Norm said bluntly. "Get a clue. I thought you were smarter than this."

Luna began to charge at Max again, but was knocked into the corner again Luna crawled to the very corner, and Iris pointed one sword at her, keeping the other one on the ground behind her. "It's over," she said. "You have nowhere to run."

Luna sighed. "Right...right you are." She turned around and looked out to the water. "I guess that's it, huh?" She sighed. "I was bested. I cheated, I schemed, and I tried to kill. I...I really messed up." Iris lowered the grip a bit on the sword that was facing Luna. "I'm...I'm sorry. I should have played more honestly. I should have been more honest from the start. Could you give me the honor to fight you honestly in the finale? That is all I could ask for."

Iris watched the sorrowful Luna hang her head. Dropping her sword, Iris stuck out her hand instead. "Get up," she said. "Let's duel for real. No combination of points will save us both, but we can at least honorably fight it out here."

Luna began to stand up, smiling. Eventually, that smile grew darker.

Then, it became a face of shock.

"No!" Luna screamed. Iris turned her head to see that Max had picked up the sword from behind her and thrusted her into the water. After poking her head up, Luna screamed again at Iris. "You fooled me! How dare you! I'll kill you!"

"Heh," Iris said with a smirk. "I guess you should have kept your guard up."

Iris's gloat was quickly put to an end by Max swinging at her, which caused Iris to roll underneath. "I have vanquished my foe!" Max shouted. "Now it is your turn!"

Iris quickly picked up her other sword and got ready to fight. "You idiot!" she shouted. "If I don't win, Luna could stay in the game!"

Max paused. "Oh? Well, why didn't you say something?" Max very promptly dropped his sword and dove into the water, ending the challenge.

"That's it," Chris announced. "Luna takes third, Max gets second, and Iris gets a win." He looked at the scores. "That puts Max at seven points, Iris at six, and Luna at...five points." He turned to the pseudo-psychic. "You're done."

"What!" Luna complained. "No! I'll kill them! They won't have a chance! She began to charge at Iris but was grabbed by Chef instead.

* * *

**Elimination 16**

Luna was no in the cannon, wrapped in a straight jacket. "This is not fair!" She shouted. "I'll have my revenge on you! Just you wait! I-I'll kill them in the finale! I won't be stopped there. That money will be mine!"

"Chef," Chris told the cook, "make sure Luna's off the rotation for helpers, and that she doesn't come back for the finale. Did you keep the address for Scarlett's asylum she was at?" Chef nodded. "Send her there. It seemed to have done miracles for her."

Iris walked up to Luna. "You played hard," she admitted. "But you fell harder." She laughed. "Enjoy prison, or wherever they send you." She began to walk off but turned around. "Oh, one more thing."

Luna's contorted face of anger quickly shifted to one in pain as she let out an "Ow!" Iris had punched her. Then Max punched her. Luna let out another "Ow!"

"That felt good," Iris said. "Never mess with me or my family again." That was the last thing Luna heard before being blasted out of the cannon.

"Wow, that was thrilling!" Chris announced. "Some people almost died, but that level of threat will be nothing compared to the finale!" He laughed maniacally as the two finalists looked nervous near him.

* * *

**Iris: **"Despite toppling Luna," she mentioned, "we haven't beaten the real villain: Chris. This ought to be painful, but I'm this close to a million bucks. No chance am I dropping out now."

* * *

"Iris! Max!" Chris announced. "We now have our finalists! Will it be a steamroll, or will the dark horse continue his plunder? Only one way to find out the true winner, and that's to tune in next time, on Total! Drama! Fiery Passion!"

(END OF CHAPTER)

* * *

**Votes: Merge**

**No vote (Sudden Death Elimination)**

**Eliminated: Luna**

* * *

**Finalists: **Iris, Max

Elimination Order:

19th (kind of)- Chander, The Spooky Prankster

18th- Sugar, The Pageant Queen

17th- Norm, The Antisocial Genius

16th- Jasmine, The Outback Amazon

15th- Marty, The Con Artist

14th- Kayla, The Brat

13th- Flora, The Pacifist

12th- Ethan, The Anti-Villain

11th- Shawn, The Zombie Conspiracy Nut

10th- Lavender, The Nature's Child

9th- Sky, The Athlete

8th- Kara, The Curious Girl

7th- Paul, The Pessimist

6th- Angie, The Hothead

5th- Scarlett, The Brainiac

4th- Jonathan, The Lover Boy

3rd- Luna, The Pseudo-Psychic

* * *

**Finally, Luna takes the cannon, in a very similar fashion to the other villains, they go out with a giant bang.**

**I mentioned earlier that Luna becoming unhinged was one of the reasons she was my favorite villains to write. Instead of the final three all being fixated on moving on, only Iris is focusing on that. Max has tunnel vision on Luna, and Luna has tunnel vision on murder. I saw some people predict a Luna-Scarlett finale or a Luna-Iris finale, and those would have been good, but Luna did cheat quite a lot, so that has to be punished.**

**Luna's downfall was not actually being stopped by Chef, it was before that, with Iris repeating the line Luna told her when she shut her brain down. And of course, Max was the one to strike her down. Luna's fake plea before that was the setup for that, but seriously, if you were with this person all season, you'd see right through it too.**

**Now we're down to our finalists. This was the finale plan from the beginning. Iris was a definite, and after factoring out all the other finalists, my other option I was thinking of was Paul. But, Paul started doing less and less, so in my planning phase, with Scarlett and Luna also placing high, I brought Max into the plot more and had him come out on top as a finalist.**

**Well, who's going to win? There's only one episode left, and it's gonna be a big one. How will this dramatic trilogy end? Only one way to find out. See you next time!**


	18. Torched Tower

**Replies, right at the bitter end.**

**Guest 1138- This finale will be one to remember, that's for sure. I'm really glad that everyone seems to be okay with Max in the finale, as it is a tad contreversial.**

**Sephiria Arks- That is probably Max's biggest weakness, his fixation on Luna is a problem, but I think it works out. As for your questions, a big part of the reason Chef was so late was due to the legal action he was taking. And, this will be the final season in this series. We'll see what I'm working on after this.**

**Puzzlefan 123- Yeah, that was the initial thought process with Luna, but I decided that I'd make her a villain, unlike the HP Luna which is a very nice person.**

**Candela Monsoon- Iris's finale standing was pretty obvious. I tried to not make seem too perfect by never having her win an immunity, hopefully I managed that.**

**Finale time! Only one can win.**

* * *

Episode 18: Torched Tower

Chris and Chef stood at the end of the dock, looking out to the edge. "It sure has been a messy season," Chris said to Chef. "Glad you're here to make this finale as explosive as it needs to be."

"Right on," Chef agreed, but keeping his gaze averted.

Chris didn't catch Chef's eyes looking away, and he opened up the episode. "Last time on Total Drama," he started, "we had out final three challenge! A homage to one of Pahkitew's best, contestants made their own challenges. Max had a design portion, where we made tools to stop Luna. Max took that home with a powerful slashing sword that coursed electricity. That was cool, and we took it." The first clips were Max winning his challenge with his sword, and Luna attempting to crush Iris with her own weight. "Next up, Luna began her murder spree by making a spy-movie themed challenge, dodging real lasers and avoiding real spikes." Chris laughed. "Gotta hand it to her, that girl's good." The clips that showed were Luna winning instantly and Luna eventually taking Max up to the top with her. "Backed on her luck, Iris resorted to a sword duel, which was full of anger and betrayal. It was real juicy." The next clips were Iris betraying Luna, Luna faking a plea, and Max activating several traps. "Finally, Luna's long cheating streak was put to an end as Max pushed her into the water below, giving Iris the win, and sending Luna home."

The scene flipped back to Chris, who quickly continued his recap. "Let's see how Iris got here," he announced. Scenes began to play of Iris stomping her foot to give herself a rush of adrenaline, along with the scene of Iris agreeing to tutor Kayla. "Dead set on her 'no trust' policy again, Iris entered exactly how we thought she would. As an Eagle, she became an integral part of the team's makeup, bringing in power and courage where the others lacked. At the same time, she tried to teach Kayla how to do what she did, focusing in on keeping Kayla from being too reckless, but it wasn't enough, and Kayla was the first Eagle gone." The next scenes were Luna shutting Iris down, and Scarlett initially reaching out to Iris in Lavender's presence. "At that point, the two biggest players, Luna and Scarlett, both made different plays for Iris. Scarlett attempted to recruit her, to get numbers over Luna, while Luna tried everything in her power to keep Iris unusable. Despite their different goals, it was eventually Kara who fully snapped Iris out of her state, and sent her into the merge swinging." The next clips were Kara giving breakfast to Iris and Iris toppling Luna in the sword challenge. "Doing her best to stay safe and powerful, Iris entered a safety net, never winning immunity once, but still getting to the end. Only at the final four, thanks to a betrayal from Luna did she get to keep going, and eventually topple her rival to put herself in finals."

The next scenes started playing, and the first scene was Max falling out of the helicopter at the beginning of the season. "Max's entrance was expected. He had no skills, showed off no smarts, and no social ability whatsoever. What he did have was a grudge, two, actually. The first was on Scarlett for messing with him, and the other was on me. I...I don't know why." The next clips were Max handing various gadgets to Luna, and Max being swapped to the Eagles. "Max was the victim of our first team swap, made to stir up some drama regarding the Eagles. Not a coincidence at all, the Meerkats began to win a lot after his switch, and the Eagles indeed became more and more dysfunctional. Once the Meerkats had adjusted to their new teammate, we gave them Max back, making max the harbinger of chaos among both teams. All in this time, he allied with Luna, our most dangerous competitor ever, and worked with her on...close terms." The next clips were Luna and Max's fake relationship, and Max being tied up underground. "When the merge hit, Luna was excited to have her ally back, but certain events caused her to be outed, and Max began to doubt the authenticity of his partner. It eventually fell to Max's bitter rival, Scarlett to show him the light. Max accepted that light, and spent his Merge relying on himself instead of anyone else, only voting with them when necessary. Max's mechanical prowess ended up helping him in more challenges than expected, despite how much Scarlett wished to pin it as luck." The next clips were Max thrusting Luna off the edge and his creation in the shelter challenge. "Eventually, thanks to a trick from Iris, Max was able to be the one to defeat the one who betrayed him, and now only has that accomplice in his way of a million dollars."

The scene flipped back to Chris. "Well, only one of these two can win, and it will come down to who's got more fire in them. Who's going to stop the other? Find out right now, on Total! Drama! Fiery Passion!

* * *

**Opening Sequence**

[Various cameras began to appear in a similar way to the other seasons. The first one appeared out of a lily pad, which seemed to be mechanically connected to the water. Next, one came out of a tree, which spit out some fire as the camera popped out. The final one fell on top of the outhouse confessional, and exploded into a burning flame. The camera then began to fly as the opening played.]

_Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doing fine,_

[The camera arrived at a waterfall, where Shawn poked his head out, to see Jasmine waiting for him. He waved a signal as she went in.]

_You guys are on my mind,_

[Next to the waterfall, Marty stares at them with a scowl on his face. He picks up a stick, smirks at the waterfall, and snaps the stick.]

_You asked me what I wanted to be, and I think the answer is plain to see_

[The camera flies over the waterfall, where Sky is doing Olympic style jumps. She lands one perfectly, much to Jonathan's amazement. Iris runs by and smacks Jonathan over the head. Ethan laughs in the back as Jonathan fumes.]

_I wanna be famous!_

[The camera flies to a clearly mechanical mountain, where Paul and Angie are intensely competing. Angie barely beats him up the hill, which angers Paul.]

_I wanna live close to the sun_

[Lavender and Flora smile at each other as they run off. A hand reaches out to stop one of them.]

_Go pack your bags, 'cause I've already won_

[Lavender turns her head to see Scarlett. The quiet brainiac signals for Lavender to follow her instead.]

_Everything to prove, nothing in my way,_ _I'll get there one day_

[As Sugar tries her hardest trying to build something, she laughs at her own brilliance. Meanwhile, Norm fakes a fall, knocking it over. He gives the pageant queen a sheepish but fake smile.]

_I wanna be famous_

[Paul and Angie are seen in a hot race again, this time Paul has the lead. He skids to a halt and trips her, causing her to fall.]

_Na na nanana na, nanana na, nananananana_

[Kayla kicks the ground, evidently bored, while her sister, Kara, investigates a pipe spitting out fire on the others side. A ball of fire shoots by and ignites another pipe, which causes Kara to look back. Chander is seen blowing out ignition fuel.]

_I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous!_

[Various other high ranking, non-competing contestants appear in silhouettes, as fire shoots out from behind them. Some have items like swords or heavy weights in their hand. Others are just standing there in a menacing fashion.]

_I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous!_

[The scene zooms into the fire, which changes to a traditional campfire.]

_*Whistling*_

[Luna stares at Max with a bright green glow, while Max offers her a contraption he made. The psychic fixes it with her mind, which causes the others to glare at her as they whistle.]

* * *

The sun rose on the bunker, but as it showed both contestants were still asleep. The scene flipped to the bunker, where Chander was mercilessly pounding away at his keyboard. "Ugh...so close."

"How're preparations comin'?" Chef asked, poking his head in.

Chander held up a small device. "You sure Chris wants you down here the whole time?" Chef nodded. "Then we should be good." he held up a small device. "I've been working on this. It's a voice modulator." Chef looked interested, leaning in. "If Chris sends a message down here, I can make it sound like you, watch." Chander spoke into it. "I need five interns on the course, now!" Chander's voice sounded just like Chef's.

"How was it?" Chander asked the cook. Chef nodded in approval. "Good. That should allow me to run the entire finale, and you can do whatever you need to do to make that arrest happen."

"What if he starts to look for you?" Chef asked.

"Meh, I think he forgot about me," Chander admitted. "As long as you don't mention me, and make sure he doesn't hear anyone else mention me, we should be good."

Chef nodded. "Got it. I'll tell those bratty finalists." Chef got and began to leave the bunker. "I'm countin' on you," he told the former co-host.

"You got it," Chander replied. "This is really important."

* * *

The blaring of an air horn awoke the two finalists, who shot out of their beds quickly. Max in particular shot so high he hit the ceiling, falling back down with an "Ow!" Getting up, he remembered what day it was. "Aha!" he shouted. "Today I win my money I deserved from last time!" He shouted.

"Huh?" Iris asked. "Oh yeah...Chris kinda threw you into that cannon with no reason." She looked at him. "The cannon. Does it hurt bad?"

Max shook his head. "If you aren't attached to a former psychotic serial killer, than it doesn't hurt." He smirked as he walked out the door. "But you get to find out today!" he taunted. "You won't stop me from claiming my prize!" Iris blinked a few times as he left.

* * *

**Iris:** "Finale..." she muttered. "I expected it to be a bit more grand than this," she admitted. "I guess with all the issues with Luna, anything else feels like a step down." She yawned. "I think I'm hoping for that. A step up would not be inviting."

**Max: **"Chris owes me an apology yet," he said with a look of anger on his face. "And when I win the money, I will give him none of it! He will do it for free!" He pondered in the chair for a bit. "Maybe a lawyer could help with that..."

* * *

"Attention, durable pain food," Chris said. "Get ready for your hardest challenge yet. Go to the center of the island, and get to the bottom of the structure that is there."

"That sounds dangerous," Iris said. "Well, I'm going to run ahead and scout it out. I'll think about telling you stuff once you get there!"

Iris began to run off, and Max stuck out his hand. "Wait!" he called out. Iris ignored him and kept running. "That's not fair! Curse you and your longer legs!"

* * *

When Max got to the scene, Iris was still poking around up top. "What is the meaning of this?" he called out. As he got closer, he realized the meaning of it. Iris was staring at a giant tower, that looked like it reached the sky.

"There is no way this has been hiding here all season," Iris griped. "Well, no sense in complaining now." She pointed to the right of the super villain. "Looks like we have an elevator. The base must be at the bottom of it."

The two stepped in the elevator, getting ready to face the final challenge. Max pressed the button to send them to the bottom floor, and a can of gas fell on the ground. "...Yeah, we should have seen that coming," Iris said bluntly, as the two gave in to the gas relatively quickly. Before they knew it, they were passed out on the ground.

* * *

When the two woke up, they were at the starting line of a race, but the race didn't go far, only to a door. "Who dares to knock me out in my finale?" Max asked. As he looked around, he saw Chris standing there eagerly.

"Welcome to the final challenge!" Chris announced. "Before we get into that, let's say 'hi' to the peanut gallery!" Iris and Max looked over to see about two thirds of the campers they outlasted. "We have Sugar, Norm, Jasmine, Marty, Flora, Paul, Angie, Scarlett, and Jonathan!" Scarlett waved to Iris, as she sat in a full body cast.

"Where are the others?" Iris asked.

"I'll explain later," Chris answered. "Let me first explain what's going to happen here." He pulled up the monitor. It turned on and began to show off a diagram of the giant tower. "Finalists will receive one helper to get them going. Scarlett is not helping, as she is unable. You will enter that door right there," Chris said pointing to the door, "and go up the stairs to level one. There, you will face the Mechanical Floor!"

The monitor showed off the Mechanical Floor, which had many of Pahkitew's animals, as well as the robotic bear. "To answer where the others are, two finalists have been stationed at each floor. Their goal? To stop you from advancing. However, since I have more faith in the likes of Kayla than I do Max, the finalists will be stationed in a control room to operate traps on the floor, instead of physically attacking you."

Chris hit a button, and the monitor changed from showing off the Mechanical Floor to a floor that had a brown color to it, with some green scattered throughout. "Make it through that, and you take the stairs up to the Disaster Floor!" Upon closer inspection, this floor greeted them with a strike of lightning, and water raged throughout it sporadically. Right at the end, a volcano emerged in the middle of the room.

The monitor flipped again. "Your third location is the Underwater Floor!" Chris showed off the room which was fully submerged, with two pods sitting at the entrance. "You will drive a pod through this floor, trying not to die from the various harpoons and shark attacks."

"Are they real sharks?" Max asked nervously.

"I don't know," Chris calmly answered. "I'd hate to find out though." He continued explaining. "On each of these three floors, a giant divider has been put up. You will have to work on your own to be able to continue, without knowing how they other person is doing." The monitor flipped again to a room with a bright orange glow. "Once you ascend those three floors, the final floor awaits you: the Flaming Floor. Traverse the intensely dangerous flames and make it to your goal on the other side. Since there's no winner yet, we'll get rid of your helpers, the divider will be gone, and you will be able to fight each other." Iris glared at Max, who stepped back in fear.

Chris explained the final part. "Your goal is right above those floors at the top of the building. Cross the finish line first and the million bucks is yours!" Both contestants got excited again. "But first, your helpers!" The monitor flipped to a slot machine-esque screen, with the remaining spectators' faces on it. "Max, your spin first."

Max watched the spinner for a bit before stopping it. He looked at the face that was showing, and shrugged. "It could have been worse," he decided. He watched as Flora stepped down from the gallery to help.

"This is exciting," she said. "I got to help last time too!"

Iris smirked. "Good luck trying to pull any evil off with her around," she mocked. Max gasped as he realized the situation he was in. "Yeah, gasp. I'm not scared of anyone I get." She spun it a bit more and when it landed, she pouted instantly. "Except for that."

"Haha!" Marty taunted, dropping down to the competition. "You're stuck with me!"

"Not exactly," Chris told the helpers. "You will be operating on the sidelines as well. Your job as helpers is to try and either break the controls the finalists are using or to work around it by activating traps that would help your partner out." Chris turned to Marty. "And since you're here, you won't win any money, got it?"

Marty grinned at his partner. "Perhaps my finalist will choose to share?"

Iris laughed. "After what you pulled last season, you'll get nothing." Marty frowned at her response.

Chris lined the two finalists at the starting line. "Finalists, the challenge begins...now!" At the word, the two finalists began charging the first staircase, with Iris taking an early lead off of pure speed.

* * *

With the divider in play, everyone was unable to see each other. Iris reached the Mechanical Floor first, trying to get a feel for her surroundings. The first thing she noticed were the large amount of robotic wildlife in her path. "This is annoying," she muttered. She looked upward and shouted. "Marty, you on traps?"

Marty snickered as he began fiddling with the controls. "No need to worry, for an expert in messing with stuff, this is super easy!" He began pressing a button, but his eager face turned to one of shock when he realized that what he was going for didn't happen. "Uh, what was that?" he asked.

"Glad you could make it," Shawn taunted from the other side of the control room. "You're in for a nasty treat. I rewired everything before you pestering zombies could make it this far!" Marty groaned in response.

Iris sighed. "No worries, I guess. Maybe I'll tackle this one on my own." Grinning with excitement, she drew Quaoar's sword out from behind her. Once the animals noticed they were in danger, Iris began slashing away at them, sparks flying all over the place as she trudged forward.

"Impressive," Shawn's voice echoed through the room, "you'll have to show me some of those moves. But I have to stop you, so here goes!" Shawn pressed a few buttons, and trees began to shoot up from the ground. Iris got around a few of them, but was knocked into the wall by one.

Marty's voice entered the room next. "Are you really gonna let some fern take you out? Get up and move!"

Iris got up with a moan. "It's a lot harder to get up when that 'fern' is a giant metal pole!" Now about halfway through the room, Iris noticed the floor in front of her opening. Instead of going around it, Iris jumped in, and the tree that rose up got her above all of the animals. Now they all began to swarm around the tree, jumping up. Iris was way above them, unable to be touched.

"Way to go, Slick," Marty taunted her. "Now they've surrounded you. Luckily, I can get you out. Just jump and run, there's a door that Shawn can't mess with at the exit, make it through there and I can lock those animals in."

Iris looked down at the exit. "I can't believe I'm taking his advice," she said with an annoyed look. Eventually, she jumped, rolling as she landed on the ground to keep her acceleration. Shawn began frantically pressing buttons, but nothing was stopping her advance, eventually, Iris dove through the door, and Marty shut the door. The door dropped from above, severing a robotic arm that tried to reach out for her.

"Good work, Slick!" Marty cheered, using the same nickname. "I'll meet ya on the next floor."

* * *

**Iris: **"My mind is flowing with questions," Iris said. "I've made it past the robots, something Max will probably have an easier time with, but I can excel on the disaster floor." Her thoughtful expression became contorted with anger. "And what's up with the name Slick? I hate it."

**Marty: **"She didn't like Slick? Oh, that's perfect, I'll keep using it." He laughed. "Yeah, I'll actually try and help her win. I figured that she isn't gonna share any unless I'm all fair an nice about it, so for now, I'll lend her my aid."

* * *

Max entered the room a tad after Iris arrived. "Now this is an evil lair," Max said with pride. He began to look at all the small nuances that made the room a room.

"Uh, maybe we could focus on getting through the room?" Flora suggested nicely as he was looking.

Max grumbled as he obeyed Flora's offer, beginning to move through the room. "I don't think so!" Sky's voice echoed through the room. At the press of the button, all of the animals focused their attention on Max.

Instead of running away, Max laughed his best laugh all season, drawing his electric sword from the challenge before. "Let them come!" he shouted, running forward as fast as he could, slashing anything that was in his way. Even though they were robotic animals, Flora couldn't help but avert her eyes.

"Shoot!" Sky said with a hint of anger, trying to figure out how the traps worked. She tried pressing one at random, and it shot a tree right at Max. Max was able to deflect it with his sword, but the sword flew out of his hands, dropping on the ground far away.

Flora regained her focus and got over the speakers. "Um, perhaps we don't go for the sword and run, instead of hurting the animals?"

Max grumbled. "I dislike it," he admitted. "But that makes the most sense." he proceeded to go for the door, and without enough time, Sky was unable to send another trap, and Max ran through the door. Flora noticed the button to close out the animals and pressed it quickly so Max couldn't hurt any more. Max grumbled as he watched the robotic bear play with the sword he had crafted.

* * *

**Max: **"Chris better allow me to return for that sword," he complained. "That was my weapon I used to topple Luna!" He shuffled on the confessional. "Well, not really, but I wish it was!"

* * *

Iris slid first into the second room. The first thing she noticed were the immensely high winds happening there. "Hey, Slick," Marty teased as she entered. Iris growled at the con artist as he kept talking. "This one looks pretty simple for you. The door's way up there. Water will rise, but if you run up the platforms, you'll make it up faster." He chuckled again. "I'd say you make this fast, because as soon as you start moving the water's gonna-" he paused. "Oh, she started already."

Iris ran toward the middle, where the rocks began to ascend upward. "A rock slide took Jonathan out of the game," Kara explained. "I'd be happy to send you down one too." She pressed a button, and the rocks that were Iris's path to the door began to shake. "If you can keep your balance on the way up, this won't be an issue."

"I'll manage," Iris claimed, beginning to ascend the rocky tower. She stumbled a few times, but overall, it was a steady climb. When she reached the top, a small bridge was the only thing between a seemingly bottomless chasm. "Woah, how did that get made?"

"It's not bottomless," Kara explained lightly, "but it will hurt if the water doesn't fill it up. Now, just try and make it before I break that bridge."

"It's a trap, Slick," Marty warned. "Don't take that bridge." He then got another idea. "Actually, take the bridge, I have a plan." Iris charged toward the bridge, and Kara began to break the bridge down, but Marty triggered a hurricane, and the high winds sent her right across the chasm seamlessly. "How'd it go?" Marty asked, shutting the door.

Iris groaned as she got up. "I'm alright," she said. "A bit wet, but we made it."

Marty laughed. "You're about to hit the underwater floor, don't complain about it being wet. Get going, Slick." Iris growled at Marty as she went up the stairs.

* * *

Max's traversal of the Disaster Floor was a tad different than Iris's. "I don't think it'd be wise to wait until the water rises," Flora advised. "Perhaps we could go up those rocks there?"

On cue, the rocks began to rumble, just as Iris's rocks had. "Good luck," Ethan's voice sounded. "That's one tough climb. I'd suggest taking a different route."

Flora began looking around for options. "Oh!" she shouted enthusiastically, "what about the volcano?"

Even Ethan was shocked. "I'm sorry, what?"

Max was intrigued. "Go on."

Flora pointed to the volcano. "What if I activate it and it comes up somewhere good? You could ride it...or...something."

Max nodded. "Perfect, that shall be our plan!" Flora clapped excitedly as Max ran toward the area where the volcano would appear. "Let it rip!" Flora pressed a button, and the volcano began to go up. Max got on in time, and rode it to the top.

"I should warn you," Ethan said. "That thing will erupt now that it's been activated. You need to get out of this room fast, but I won't let you!" Ethan pressed a button to activate a tornado, and that tornado began to make its way toward the volcano.

"Run, Max!" Flora shouted. "It's going to get too close!" Max didn't have time to react, and the tornado sucked Max into it. He began swinging around a lot, and eventually was shot out, conveniently landing on the other side of the chasm. "Oh," Flora said. "That...worked." She quickly closed the door, and Max began to run up to the next floor.

* * *

**Ethan: **"...He got lucky."

* * *

Iris was still in the lead, reaching the Underwater Floor first too. "Once you get in that pod," Marty explained. "You're on your own. I can't help you, but I can direct you. There are no traps, it seems. Chris was lying about the ones on this floor."

Iris got in the pod. "Then there's no issue, right?"

"Uh...wrong," a timid voice said from the inside of the pod. Lavender spoke again. "I can only distract you, but I'll do it for sure." She hit a few buttons, and a bunch of sounds began shooting out of the speakers.

"Ugh," Iris moaned, "what are those sounds? And where's the challenge? This place seems normal, not even any walls."

"I gotta direct you," Marty said, trying to overpower the sounds. "I can see the walls, you can't. And...it seems these sounds are royalty free. Chris is cheaping out again, naturally."

Iris grabbed on to the wheel, trying to drown out the noises around her. "Okay...I can do this," she told herself. She began going straight, and Marty continued to shout out various directions from the speakers. Iris was only able to hear a few of them, and crashed frequently. "Sorry!" she called out. "I'm super distracted and I have no idea how to guide this thing."

"Then let me figure something else out," Marty said with a growl. "For now, hug the right wall, you'll make it out eventually." Marty began looking around. "Got it!" Marty slammed on a few buttons, and the sounds shut off in Iris's pod.

"Hey!" Lavender said, "How'd you do that?"

"I reworked the circuits in the pod," Marty said proudly. "Now Iris, listen closely." Marty proceeded to give Iris the necessary directions. It was a bit hard for her to get it, but eventually she got through the door. "Nice, Slick," Marty cheered. "Now hurry, Max is catching up. If you meet him at the fire floor, he might pass you."

"Catching up?" Iris asked. "How?"

* * *

Max entered the Underwater Floor, and got right into the pod. "Blast!" he shouted in annoyance. "These maps aren't working, I can't see the walls!"

"That's because you aren't supposed to see them, purple man," Kayla's voiced echoed. "Even better, I'm here to distract you, so have at it!" Kayla began blasting loud sounds from the speakers, and Max seemed to be getting much more annoyed.

Flora spoke up. "Um, maybe we can stop the sounds?"

"No time!" Max decided. He pulled out some of the wires in the pod and started toying with them. "I'll make the map show myself!"

"I-I could direct you," Flora tried to suggest, but Max was already way too invested in his work. "Um, well...good luck?"

"No!" Kayla shouted, furiously pressing buttons. "You can't mess up my trap that easily! Let me scream!" With a groan, she got up and gave up.

Max finally connected a few wires, and the map in the pod displayed all of the walls, giving Max an easy drive through. Flora watched as he effortlessly traversed the course without her help. "Okay," she said with disappointment. "I guess I'm done."

* * *

**Flora: **"I enjoyed helping Max!" she said happily. "He learned a lot, and I think I did too! I wonder what he'll spend the money on..."

* * *

The Flaming Floor's doors opened up on either side, and to the other's surprise, both finalists got there at the exact same time. "How did you get here?" Max asked in shock. "I defeated every floor with ease!"

"As did I!" Iris countered. "Well, pretty much. But it's too late! The only thing in my way now is you, and that won't be an issue!"

"Likewise!" Max shouted, running right at the paranoid girl. Iris carefully sidestepped, and gunned for the door in the other side. Max followed suit very quickly, and when both neared the edge of the door, they were caught off guard as it closed before either could get through it. "What the-" Iris started.

A laugh sounded over the speakers in the room, and a hatch opened up above them. "You really thought my finale was gonna be that easy?" "Chef's" voice echoed through the room. "You're gonna have to be a lot smarter than that to get up to the top! You'll have to stop me! Chef!"

Iris looked up at the speakers blankly. "Yeah, Chef, we kinda got that it was you."

"You know nothing of villainy," Max criticized. "He was obviously going for extra flair for his introduction."

"Chef" laughed again. "Uh, yeah, now...do the challenge!"

* * *

"You're not very convincing," Chef said to Chander as he was watching a radar. "You need more macho."

Chander shrugged. "I'm some kid who stays home all day and does party tricks as a job, I think that was a good amount of macho for me." He turned over to see Chef's radar. "What is it?"

"The feds are surroundin' the place," Chef explained. "I can run the radar from down here and keep them invisible. Once this challenge ends, they're coming in."

"Got it," Chander said. "Now, who do you think will win?" He began watching the finalists move, occasionally igniting something in the room. "I think anybody could take it."

"Max proved himself, that's for sure," Chef said, "but I don't know if it's gonna be enough."

* * *

Fireballs began shooting all over the place. "This is annoying," Iris griped. "We keep having to get out of the way of things, I don't have time to think of a way to get up!"

"Maybe another volcano will erupt, and I could ride it!" Max said to himself. Iris was dumbfounded at his response, but did not have time to stay that way, as another fireball shot near her, forcing her to dodge again.

Max, on the other hand, was running around on the ground, searching for something to ascend on. Eventually, Chander activated a volcano in the room, and Max began to climb it. Much to his disappointment, it wasn't close enough to reach the hatch to get out. Iris on the other hand, noticed ropes that were along the walls of the room. As she got closer, more traps began to shoot at her. She kept climbing, and reached a platform up top, where another fireball shot at her. Having nowhere to dodge, she braced for impact, hoping it wouldn't burn too much.

Iris shut her eyes, and watched as the fireball exploded all around her. She felt the immense heat coming off from it, but seemed relatively unharmed. "Hold on a second," Iris said, picking a piece of the "fireball" off from her. She sniffed it briefly, then licked it. "This isn't fire...it's tomato soup."

Max reached into the volcano, and after screaming from the soup that was still hot, licked some soup from the volcano. "Then we're safe in here!"

* * *

Chris, who was now at the top of the tower with the peanut gallery, was clearly upset. "Tomato soup?" he asked no one in particular. "I thought Chef was down there on the controls! Why is Chander's soup back? He should be locked up still!" Chris began to leave to go investigate.

Right as he was about to come down to the control room, the actual Chef voiced in to him. "Chris!" Chef called out. "Get ready to do your hostin' thing. The kids are almost outta the fire place!" Stuck at the top of the tower, Chris remained.

Back down on the control panel, the two co-hosts let out a sigh of relief. "We gotta end this challenge, pronto," Chander suggested. "If Chris gets impatient, we lose our chance."

"You got that right," Chef said. "Tell that crazy girl to use the thing she's hidden poorly."

* * *

"Gah, we're still too far away!" Iris complained. The two finalists were now on opposite sides of the hatch, but neither was in a spot to reach it. Iris tried jumping again, but to no avail, made it back to her side.

Max pouted. "Well, now what? We're clearly not going to go any further. How do I get my money?"

"Your money?" Iris asked with shock. "Are you serious? You won't beat me. You're lucky I don't send you back down to the bottom of the room!" Max huffed as the two continued to argue.

Their debate was silenced by Chander's voice coming clearly through the speakers. "Hey, uh, if you can hear me, Iris, use that thing you have, and get out of there. We need to end this challenge quickly!"

Iris pulled out her sword. "This? I wasn't trying to hide it. Max took his with him too!"

Chander let out a loud breath through the speakers. "Yeah, that's why you got to keep it, now stick it in the wall and get out!"

Iris shook her head. "No can do, this is Quaoar's sword, he trusted it to me." Chander let out a groan that sounded to the room. "Fine, but you better save it if this building collapses." She threw the sword at the wall, sticking it in. "Here I go!" she shouted, jumping up and grabbing the handle carfeully. She swung herself up to the top, and jumped through the hatch's hole. "Yes!"

Max called up to her. "What do I do?" he asked.

"That, but you're out of time!" Iris shouted, running after the finish line.

Once she was gone, Max got closer to the sword. "Well, I can do that." He jumped up onto the handle, and instead of it staying where it was, the sword bent, and then flung Max into the air.

* * *

Back up at the top, everyone was back, waiting for the thrilling finale. Iris was the first to get above the hatch, with a simple sprint to the finish line left. "She's so close!" Kayla cheered. "Go end this!"

"We're counting on you," Scarlett said.

Jonathan turned to Ethan and taunted. "Still have a good feeling about Max?"

Ethan snickered back. "He beat you, didn't he?" Jonathan turned around again and stayed silent.

Iris charged from the finish, when a giant shadow appeared above her. Everyone watched as Max flung out of the hatch, and was directing himself in the area of the finish line. "You have to be kidding me," Iris griped, picking up speed. She kept running, trying to eventually get away from the shadow looming over her.

Max began falling faster, right in the same spot Iris was, he angled his landing, and tried to land over the finish line. With a crash, the winner was decided.

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...Iris had made it over the finish line, with Max landing just before it. "Woah, that was close!" Chris shouted. "But we have a winner! Iris wins Total Drama Fiery Passion, and the million dollar prize!"

Iris got up slowly from her victory dive. "Ugh, I really earned it," she said unenthusiastically.

"I figured you'd be more excited," Scarlett said, walking over to congratulate her.

Iris groaned. "Yeah, but I think Max landed on me a bit, and I might've broken something. Plus, this season was way too taxing."

"Suddenly I'm not an idiot for getting out when I could," Norm said proudly.

Chris handed Iris the million. "Well, here, take this," he said, quickly giving the case over. "It's time for us to go. I'm getting a bad feeling about staying." He began to run when the sound of a siren was heard.

"Get the kids out safely!" a deep male voice shouted. On command, Chef busted through the hatch, holding Iris's sword. "Thanks for complyin'," he said, handing it back to her. "Gremlin!" He tossed Max his electric sword, "take that."

"Chef!" Chris shouted. "What's the meaning of this?" Chris began panicking as a few people surrounded him.

"You're being charged with reckless endangerment and possession of a large quantity of explosive material," an officer next to him explained. "I don't think that lines up with your parole."

"It's not my fault!" Chris exclaimed, "I was supposed to have someone else to carry it with them." he turned to Chef. "Did you do this?"

"Sure did," Chef explained. "You need to go back where you belong. It ain't safe for any of us out here."

Chris squirmed as the agents took him away. "No! My franchise..."

"Wasn't this the last season anyway?" Paul asked everyone. "So...we're free."

"Guess so," Angie muttered. "Three tries and no money, dang."

"Speaking of money," Marty asked, walking up to Iris. "I would like a fee for helping you out."

Iris shrugged. "Sure, what the heck?" she tossed him a small stack of cash. "That's all you get. Be grateful." Marty smiled as he wandered off.

"All of you guys," Chef said, pulling up in a full-sized army helicopter, "get in, it's time to head out." Everyone loaded up, including Iris and her money. Chef turned to the camera. "Well, that's a wrap," he said. "I came late, but I did a lot. Psycho chick won, no one else did. You want more? Tough! You get none! See you never, on Total! Drama! Fiery Passion! That's what he called it, right?" A few people nodded. "Yeah, that."

* * *

**So, we have our winner. Yup, that's our canon ending. But, what does the other way look like?"**

* * *

Back up at the top, everyone was back, waiting for the thrilling finale. Iris was the first to get above the hatch, with a simple sprint to the finish line left. "She's so close!" Kayla cheered. "Go end this!"

"We're counting on you," Scarlett said.

Jonathan turned to Ethan and taunted. "Still have a good feeling about Max?"

Ethan snickered back. "He beat you, didn't he?" Jonathan turned around again and stayed silent.

Iris charged from the finish, when a giant shadow appeared above her. Everyone watched as Max flung out of the hatch, and was directing himself in the area of the finish line. "You have to be kidding me," Iris griped, picking up speed. She kept running, trying to eventually get away from the shadow looming over her.

Max began falling faster, right in the same spot Iris was, he angled his landing, and tried to land over the finish line. With a crash, the winner was decided.

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...Max landed in front of Iris, with the paranoid girl having been knocked down just short of the finish. "Woah, that was close!" Chris shouted. "But we have a winner! Max wins Total Drama Fiery Passion, and the million dollar prize!"

Max jumped up in excitement. "Take that, Luna!" he shouted. "I have prevailed over your demonic betrayal!"

"She's not even here to hear that, you know," Scarlett pointed out, staying in her seat.

Max shrugged. "It doesn't matter. She will see this eventually."

Iris got up off to the side. "Ugh, that hurt, both psychically and emotionally. What a taxing season."

"Suddenly I'm not an idiot for getting out when I could," Norm said proudly.

Chris handed Max the million. "Well, here, take this," he said, quickly giving the case over. "It's time for us to go. I'm getting a bad feeling about staying." He began to run when the sound of a siren was heard.

"Get the kids out safely!" a deep male voice shouted. On command, Chef busted through the hatch, holding Iris's sword. "Thanks for complyin'," he said, handing it back to her. "Gremlin!" He tossed Max his electric sword, "take that."

"Chef!" Chris shouted. "What's the meaning of this?" Chris began panicking as a few people surrounded him.

"You're being charged with reckless endangerment and possession of a large quantity of explosive material," an officer next to him explained. "I don't think that lines up with your parole."

"It's not my fault!" Chris exclaimed, "I was supposed to have someone else to carry it with them." he turned to Chef. "Did you do this?"

"Sure did," Chef explained. "You need to go back where you belong. It ain't safe for any of us out here."

Chris squirmed as the agents took him away. "No! My franchise..."

"Wasn't this the last season anyway?" Paul asked everyone. "So...we're free."

"Guess so," Angie muttered. "Three tries and no money, dang."

"On that topic," Flora asked the super villain, "what do you intend on doing with it?"

"An evil lair requires the utmost pride," he explained. "My winnings shall go to a life of villainy!"

"Don't say that near the feds," Kara warned. "You best watch yourself."

"All of you guys," Chef said, pulling up in a full-sized army helicopter, "get in, it's time to head out." Everyone loaded up, including Max and his money. Chef turned to the camera. "Well, that's a wrap," he said. "I came late, but I did a lot. Evil boy won, no one else did. You want more? Tough! You get none! See you never, on Total! Drama! Fiery Passion! That's what he called it, right?" A few people nodded. "Yeah, that."

(END OF SERIES)

* * *

**Votes: Merge**

**No vote (Finale)**

**Eliminated: Max (Alternate: Iris)**

* * *

**Final Placements**

Elimination Order:

19th (kind of)- Chander, The Spooky Prankster

18th- Sugar, The Pageant Queen

17th- Norm, The Antisocial Genius

16th- Jasmine, The Outback Amazon

15th- Marty, The Con Artist

14th- Kayla, The Brat

13th- Flora, The Pacifist

12th- Ethan, The Anti-Villain

11th- Shawn, The Zombie Conspiracy Nut

10th- Lavender, The Nature's Child

9th- Sky, The Athlete

8th- Kara, The Curious Girl

7th- Paul, The Pessimist

6th- Angie, The Hothead

5th- Scarlett, The Brainiac

4th- Jonathan, The Lover Boy

3rd- Luna, The Pseudo-Psychic

2nd- Max, The Super Villain (Alternate: Iris)

Winner- Iris, The Paranoid Girl (Alternate: Max)

* * *

**Well, there you have it, Iris is the winner of Total Drama Fiery Passion!**

**I tossed around a lot of challenge ideas for this one, trying to think of a finale that could top Submerged. Eventually I came on this, a tower where each floor resembled a season, and the things in your way were the finalists themselves. The finalists that were on either side was simply determined by who I thought would interact with that side the best. Helpers were based on whoever would oppose them the most (without Luna being there). The twist was that each helper was actually super helpful.**

**Iris as the winner was decided during Submerged. I was thinking of her as a finalist there, but she was a returnee, so I decided to not do that. Max as a finalist was decided about two months before the story came out, as I was drafting some early chapters. Initially I thought, "Oh it'll be funny", but then I realized that it might not be so crazy after all.**

**Overall, I am super pleased with how this season turned out. The small changes in elimination order I created was definitely worth it, as I got a very strong plot that didn't really have any downtime. After three seasons of writing, this is a season I can say was really good. Karon was bad, as expected for my first season (shuffled Karon looks like a good setup tho) Submerged was good, but musical seasons was a bad plan. I felt really confidently in all aspects of Fiery Passion, and it will stay that way for a while I bet.**

**So the obvious questions is "what's next?" Well, I have started an Amy-centric fic that I will work on throughout my planning process for the shuffled series. I will not put any dates on the shuffled series yet, because it'll take a lot of time to map out everything (and I need a break). I encourage you to tune into that, it'll be different from a normal season.**

**Shuffled Series- I'll talk a bit about that, but not here. I will update my profile constantly on the plans for that, so check that every once in a while. And with a lot of the fics I follow still in progress, I'll still be super active on the site, so if you have any super specific questions, I can answer PM's and such.**

**A final shoutout to Guest 1138, Sephiria Arks, and Candela Monsoon for staying active and reviewing each chapter! Your support gave me the motivation to keep this up!**

**With that...I'm out of things to say. See ya, I'm gonna go take a nap.**


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